Hollywood golf from the man from Holywood. It is a phrase I have used regularly on Twitter and in texts during golf major championships over the last few years.
And the man from the small town in Northern Ireland with one 'L' was at it again at The Open Championship at Hoylake, eventually winning by two shots.
The man in question is of course Rory McIlroy. Still only 25, this young golfer has the world at his feet and has the potential to go on to achieve truly extraordinary things in the game of golf.
Whilst Sergio Garcia and fellow 25 year old, the American Rickie Fowler put up a very spirited challenge on Sunday at Hoylake to try and deny McIlroy, this tournament looked to be his from the moment he stepped on the first tee on Thursday morning.
Of course, there were fears about the inexplicably bad Friday rounds he had been having in many tournaments this year, but only very briefly at moments over the four days of the championship, did he look anything approaching nervous.
The question now is; how good can Rory McIlroy be? The statistics at the moment suggest he can be one of the greatest. At 25, he is only the third player to win three Majors by that age, alongside arguably the two best players to ever have played the game; Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
Since The Masters began in 1934, no European player had managed to win more than two of golf's four Major's. McIlroy's win on Sunday ripped up that record as he added The Open to the PGA Championship he won in 2012 and his US Open victory in 2011. If it weren't for a final day meltdown at The Masters three years ago, we'd already be discussing a 'Rory Slam'.
And there is no doubt in my mind that Rory will put on that Green Jacket at Augusta one day soon and it may well come next year. His game is simply too good not to win at Augusta and when he combines holing more putts than missing them, along with his near perfect driving ability off the tee, then nobody can stop him.
Right now he has won three majors in the last four years. Three majors isn't enough to yet call McIlroy a golfing great, but it would be one of the biggest sporting shocks of all time if he stagnated on that number. Nick Faldo and the early 20th century golfer Harry Vardon lead the way for European golfers in terms of Majors won with six. The late great Seve Ballesteros won five. Faldo didn't win his first Major until he was 30 and McIlroy could feasibly have levelled or overtaken his number of Majors before he hits that age.
The standard of golf is improving all the time so it is hard to see McIlroy truly dominating the sport when there are so many other good players around like the winners of the first two Majors of the year, Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer as well as World Number one Adam Scott and Justin Rose to name but a few.
However, when McIlroy hits top form, there is no stopping him. Finishing seventeen under par around a course as testing as Hoylake showcased all of his true talent and what was most impressive was that when faced with a battle to retain his lead on the final day (and indeed on the Saturday, when Fowler drew level), he showed fantastic composure and didn't alter his aggressive strategy at all.
That sort of fight was in stark contrast to McIlroy's first two Major wins which he won by eight strokes both times. The fact that he held off two players seeking an elusive first Major will give him even more self-confidence, as if he needed any.
The obvious comparisons are with Tiger Woods who completed a 'Tiger Slam' at the 2000 Open Championship at St Andrews before his 25th birthday. Hoylake was the scene of another Woods triumph in 2006 and the American followed that up with a win at the PGA Championship a few weeks later. It remains to be seen if McIlroy can replicate that but if he showcases the form he did at The Open Championship, then he is going to take some beating.
By winning three Majors, McIlroy has already passed some fine players who only managed to win two such as Greg Norman, Sandy Lyle and Bernhard Langer. And he is level with the likes of Padraig Harrington, Nick Price and the late Payne Stewart.
Jack Nicklaus won his last Major at the age of 46, but being realistic we can say McIlroy has another 15 years at the very top until he hits 40. Of course he might go on and win beyond then as the three Open winners before him were all 40 plus, but golf is a much more athletic game now and players are more prone to injury which can be seen most potently with Woods.
If it hadn't been for a miserable 2013 in which he struggled with his change of clubs, a loss of form, private life distractions and a bitter legal row with his former management team, then he could well have won one major every year for the last four years. That being said three out of four ain't bad and if he keeps going at that rate, then the record books are going to enjoy several rewrites.
McIlroy is a genuine worldwide sporting superstar who astonishes fans with his ability, like Woods did in his prime, or Messi does on a football pitch or Federer does on a tennis court.
With his mind fully focused on the job once again, Rory McIlroy is someone who knows himself that he can be a true golfing great. It's time to make that dream become a reality over the next few years.
Who knows they might just make a Hollywood film about the man from Holywood.
Tuesday 22 July 2014
Tuesday 15 July 2014
Five Men to Watch at The Open
Golf's oldest Major is once again upon us and the world's best golfers have hit the fairways of Hoylake to prepare for The Open Championship which starts on Thursday morning.
Phil Mickelson is the defending champion after a wonderful back nine at Muirfield last year which sealed his first Claret Jug and completed a historic two week double of winning the Scottish Open and then The Open.
However, there are a whole host of top golfers in great form who look primed to wrestle that trophy from the American's hands and of course, there is the small matter of Tiger Woods returning from injury on a course where he won in 2006.
The Open is a tournament that even casual viewers of golf tune into and many people will fancy a flutter at the bookies this week.
Here's five men I think could win you some money come Sunday evening.
Henrik Stenson (Sweden, 16/1)
The 38 year old is long overdue a Major championship and this weeks set up at Hoylake offers him a fantastic opportunity to break his duck. Driving well off the tee is vital around the course and that has always been one of Stenson's great qualities. He consistently hits 300 yards off the tee and over the last two years has also rapidly improved his accuracy.
Winner of both the European Tour's Race to Dubai and the PGA Tour's FedEx cup series in 2013 in a historic double, Stenson has continued his fine form in 2014. Although Martin Kaymer ran away with the US Open last month, Stenson finished in a tie for fourth and then followed that up with a tie for second at the BMW International Open in Germany.
And since 2008 he has finished in the top three in the Open on three occasions, including a second place last year. Although he only finished in a tie for 48th at Hoylake in 2006, he has hugely improved since then.
Adam Scott (Australia, 16/1)
The 2013 Masters champion really should have an Open win to his name already. Leading by four shots with four holes to go at Royal Lytham and St Annes in 2012, he inexplicably threw away the tournament and handed victory to Ernie Els.
Many people thought then that the Aussie would never win a Major championship, but he proved them wrong with a nail biting play-off win at The Masters in 2013 and since then he hasn't looked back and is now rightly among the favourites for every Major championship.
Like Stenson, Scott is a superb driver off the tee and possesses some of the best long iron shots in the game. Already a winner on the PGA Tour this season, he has also enjoyed five other top tens across the pond so comes to England in fine form.
Factor in two consecutive top three finishes in the last two years in The Open as well as a tied eighth at Hoylake eight years ago, Scott will be surprised if he doesn't challenge come the back nine on Sunday.
Martin Kaymer (Germany, 25/1)
The US Open champion is aiming to become the first man to win The Open and the US Open since Tiger Woods in 2000 which shows the scale of how hard it is to win back to back majors, but the German is more than capable of doing so.
His performance at the US Open last month was nothing short of incredible on a very tough course at Pinehurst. He won by eight strokes over Americans Erik Compton and Rickie Fowler, who were the only other players under par.
The former World Number One has also won the Players Championship this year so is absolutely brimming with confidence. His Open record doesn't jump out with a tied seventh place in 2010 being Kaymer's best so far but he is a former winner of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
With two massive wins to his name so far in 2014, Kaymer simply can't be ignored at generous odds.
Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland, 30/1)
G-Mac as the man from Portrush is affectionately known can lead the British challenge at Hoylake this week.
He is coming off the back of a fantastic comeback win at the French Open a couple of weeks ago and there shouldn't be any fears about him skipping the Scottish Open last week as McDowell took the week off before he won the 2010 US Open at the links style Pebble Beach.
What sets McDowell apart from a lot of the British contingent is his ability to grind wins and good scores out when the going gets tough. With the weather set to be poor on Friday, patience could well be key as McDowell's shown not just in the US Open, but also in Ryder Cup matches and play-off wins on the European Tour.
His best finish at an Open came in 2012 when he finished tied fifth but a man used to links golf can improve on this at Hoylake, where he led after the first round in 2006.
Jimmy Walker (USA, 100/1)
The American who has burst onto the scene in 2014 is my outside bet for this weeks Open Championship. After playing in 187 events without a win on the PGA Tour, the 35 year-old won three times in the first eight events of 2014.
And he has enjoyed top ten finishes at both the Masters and the US Open as well so he is coming into the tournament full of confidence.
Whilst he never challenged at the Scottish Open last week, he played all four rounds and his short game can really help him around a course like Hoylake.
He might have missed the cut last year in his only Open performance to date, but he has vastly improved since then and when you are winning it can be hard to stop. Don't rule him out becoming another American winner of golf's oldest Major.
As soon as David Howell hits the first shot at 6.25am on Thursday, golf fans around the world will be glued to their screens or indeed at Hoylake itself to see who will emerge triumphant come Sunday evening.
As golf moves towards a post Woods era, expect another thrilling Major championship battle between the world's best players.
Phil Mickelson is the defending champion after a wonderful back nine at Muirfield last year which sealed his first Claret Jug and completed a historic two week double of winning the Scottish Open and then The Open.
However, there are a whole host of top golfers in great form who look primed to wrestle that trophy from the American's hands and of course, there is the small matter of Tiger Woods returning from injury on a course where he won in 2006.
The Open is a tournament that even casual viewers of golf tune into and many people will fancy a flutter at the bookies this week.
Here's five men I think could win you some money come Sunday evening.
Henrik Stenson (Sweden, 16/1)
The 38 year old is long overdue a Major championship and this weeks set up at Hoylake offers him a fantastic opportunity to break his duck. Driving well off the tee is vital around the course and that has always been one of Stenson's great qualities. He consistently hits 300 yards off the tee and over the last two years has also rapidly improved his accuracy.
Winner of both the European Tour's Race to Dubai and the PGA Tour's FedEx cup series in 2013 in a historic double, Stenson has continued his fine form in 2014. Although Martin Kaymer ran away with the US Open last month, Stenson finished in a tie for fourth and then followed that up with a tie for second at the BMW International Open in Germany.
And since 2008 he has finished in the top three in the Open on three occasions, including a second place last year. Although he only finished in a tie for 48th at Hoylake in 2006, he has hugely improved since then.
Adam Scott (Australia, 16/1)
The 2013 Masters champion really should have an Open win to his name already. Leading by four shots with four holes to go at Royal Lytham and St Annes in 2012, he inexplicably threw away the tournament and handed victory to Ernie Els.
Many people thought then that the Aussie would never win a Major championship, but he proved them wrong with a nail biting play-off win at The Masters in 2013 and since then he hasn't looked back and is now rightly among the favourites for every Major championship.
Like Stenson, Scott is a superb driver off the tee and possesses some of the best long iron shots in the game. Already a winner on the PGA Tour this season, he has also enjoyed five other top tens across the pond so comes to England in fine form.
Factor in two consecutive top three finishes in the last two years in The Open as well as a tied eighth at Hoylake eight years ago, Scott will be surprised if he doesn't challenge come the back nine on Sunday.
Martin Kaymer (Germany, 25/1)
The US Open champion is aiming to become the first man to win The Open and the US Open since Tiger Woods in 2000 which shows the scale of how hard it is to win back to back majors, but the German is more than capable of doing so.
His performance at the US Open last month was nothing short of incredible on a very tough course at Pinehurst. He won by eight strokes over Americans Erik Compton and Rickie Fowler, who were the only other players under par.
The former World Number One has also won the Players Championship this year so is absolutely brimming with confidence. His Open record doesn't jump out with a tied seventh place in 2010 being Kaymer's best so far but he is a former winner of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
With two massive wins to his name so far in 2014, Kaymer simply can't be ignored at generous odds.
Graeme McDowell (Northern Ireland, 30/1)
G-Mac as the man from Portrush is affectionately known can lead the British challenge at Hoylake this week.
He is coming off the back of a fantastic comeback win at the French Open a couple of weeks ago and there shouldn't be any fears about him skipping the Scottish Open last week as McDowell took the week off before he won the 2010 US Open at the links style Pebble Beach.
What sets McDowell apart from a lot of the British contingent is his ability to grind wins and good scores out when the going gets tough. With the weather set to be poor on Friday, patience could well be key as McDowell's shown not just in the US Open, but also in Ryder Cup matches and play-off wins on the European Tour.
His best finish at an Open came in 2012 when he finished tied fifth but a man used to links golf can improve on this at Hoylake, where he led after the first round in 2006.
Jimmy Walker (USA, 100/1)
The American who has burst onto the scene in 2014 is my outside bet for this weeks Open Championship. After playing in 187 events without a win on the PGA Tour, the 35 year-old won three times in the first eight events of 2014.
And he has enjoyed top ten finishes at both the Masters and the US Open as well so he is coming into the tournament full of confidence.
Whilst he never challenged at the Scottish Open last week, he played all four rounds and his short game can really help him around a course like Hoylake.
He might have missed the cut last year in his only Open performance to date, but he has vastly improved since then and when you are winning it can be hard to stop. Don't rule him out becoming another American winner of golf's oldest Major.
As soon as David Howell hits the first shot at 6.25am on Thursday, golf fans around the world will be glued to their screens or indeed at Hoylake itself to see who will emerge triumphant come Sunday evening.
As golf moves towards a post Woods era, expect another thrilling Major championship battle between the world's best players.
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