I wonder what American golf fans have made of the 19-yr-old Irish wonder kid Rory Mcllroy. Rory finished the Masters -1 and though a few shots behind the winner, a bright future is in prospect.
Both Mark O'Meara and Gary Player have been quoted as saying Rory is a better player than Tiger was at the same age and the fact he's already won on the European tour, seems to back that theory up.
However, being a better player as a teenager, doesn't mean he'll even come close to Tiger's acheivements, but we live in hope. Tiger seems to be winning the all time battle against Jack Nicklaus at the moment, but Jack still has more Majors on the board to date. IMO Jack had a better class of player to contend with when he was playing, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Peter Thompson, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros spring to mind. Yet while Phil Mickelson, and Padraig Harrington have given Tiger a run for his money, he still IMO hasn't had the same level of competition that Jack had. So maybe Rory's the real new kid on the block as far as Tiger's concerned and that he might find overhauling Jack's 18 Majors a bit more difficult that at the moment he might image.
PS As a Scot I thought it was great to see Sandy Lyle, if not doing a Greg Norman, doing so well, finishing at -2 at the age of 51. Sandy was if anything more gifted than fellow Brits of the same era than Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, but for some reason his form dipped badly while the other two, particulary Faldo, who went from strength to strength. Now it's like Sandy's now again the better player of the three, as they enter their senior yrs as professionals. I was hoping he's done enough to get an invite to the U.S Open, but I think that's unlikely. It's funny too, fellow Scot Colin Montogomerie has been more consistant than Sandy, but Lyle's got two Majors to Colin's none. So it's hard to say who's the best Scot's golfer of them both. However, James Braid won 5 British Opens between 1901 and 1910, so I think he's our all time best player
Can Rory rival Tiger Woods
Re: Can Rory rival Tiger Woods
In a word? NO !!!
And his amateur record proves it! As a pro, Tiger wins more than 26% of the tournaments he enters, a percentage that no other player can even approach. And I doubt that either O'Meara or Player was paying much attention to Tiger when he was McIlroy's age. Three Junior Amateur championships and 3 Amateur championships say all that needs to be said about where Tiger was at as an amateur, and nobody before or since has even come close. Let's wait and see where Mr McIlroy is compared to where Mr Woods was when he wins his first professional tournament, and where he is when he wins his first major. There are more "wonder kids" that haven't made the cut as professionals (in any sport) to even begin to count. Stop being so defensive and provincial Stuart and let time be the judge of the two when they're compared to each other. Tiger Woods is the one person who truly transcends his chosen sport. I don't think that can be denied, do you?
As always,
Hollis
And his amateur record proves it! As a pro, Tiger wins more than 26% of the tournaments he enters, a percentage that no other player can even approach. And I doubt that either O'Meara or Player was paying much attention to Tiger when he was McIlroy's age. Three Junior Amateur championships and 3 Amateur championships say all that needs to be said about where Tiger was at as an amateur, and nobody before or since has even come close. Let's wait and see where Mr McIlroy is compared to where Mr Woods was when he wins his first professional tournament, and where he is when he wins his first major. There are more "wonder kids" that haven't made the cut as professionals (in any sport) to even begin to count. Stop being so defensive and provincial Stuart and let time be the judge of the two when they're compared to each other. Tiger Woods is the one person who truly transcends his chosen sport. I don't think that can be denied, do you?
As always,
Hollis