Golf Tips & Quips

It seems that this chant is all that could be heard during the final round of the 111th playing of the US Open held at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda Maryland. Rory McIlroy destroyed a field that boasted some of the most talented golfers on the planet. Sure, Tiger Woods was not present due to injury, but would that have made a difference? I think not.

McIlroy set or tied twelve US Open records as he decimated the rest of the field. His closest competitor, Jason Day, finished eight strokes back and recorded his second straight, second place finish in consecutive majors. Going into the last round, there was no doubt that McIlroy would win the tournament. It was just a matter of by how many strokes he would win by.

I am a huge fan of Rory. We often hear analysts say that "he gets it".  He understands the game of golf, how to act on the course, and seems to appreciate everything that golf is giving him as a result of his hard work. He never gets too high or too low. He simply goes about his business and takes what the course gives him.

There were some who were still skeptical of whether or not he would be able to close it out after what happened at The Masters. After playing brilliantly for three rounds, his final round 80 at Augusta, put him out of contention for his first major win and the coveted green jacket.

As he said in the interviews following his win this past weekend, he learned a lot about himself after the meltdown in Augusta. This is what makes Rory special. Despite the fact that he is only 22 years old, he is proving himself wise beyond his years. He is poised to do great things and some have already started to talk about him breaking Jack Nickaus' record of winning eighteen majors.

This is McIlroy's first major and he has a long way to go before eclipsing Jack's lofty mark, but all the signs are there that he might be the one to do it. Will he do it? Who knows. But he probably isn't even thinking about that yet. For now, I'm sure is just anxious to get back home to Northern Ireland and present his fellow countrymen with their second consecutive U.S. Open championship.

Hats off to Rory McIlroy. The sky is the limit for this very talented athlete. As long as he keeps a level head, I see no reason why he couldn't win many more majors. At the very least, we will probably see a lot more Rory wigs at the tournaments he competes in. Have a great round and always hit your target.

Rory photo found here.