7. 18.2011
08mCiLRoy;fALLs;bACK;to;EARth
his week at the previous major was defined by everything that went right, but for
rory mcilroy at royal st. george’s, the open championship was different right
from the start. the 22-year-old wunderkind three-putted the first hole of the week
for bogey. he knocked a drive out-of-bounds saturday. sunday would bring a tee
shot into a bush and the wind blowing his ball at address; and when it was all over,
mcilroy compounded matters by refusing to blame his lackluster open showing
solely on himself. “i’m not a fan of golf tournaments that the outcome is predicted
so much by the weather,” he said. it was that sort of week, and in the wake of mcil-
roy’s disappointing seven-over-par finish in england, one might ask if the rorymania
that was sweeping the golf world has already run its course. the answer is unclear.
but if nothing else, mcilroy’s experience at royal st. george’s underscores that he
is still at the front end of what is likely to be a long education as a touring profes-
sional. maybe he is the future of golf, but that’s not to say the present won’t feature
its share of stumbles. “i’ve just won one,” mcilroy said of the expectations placed
upon him. “i’ve won three tournaments as a pro, so to start talking about winning 18
majors and this and that, yeah, it’s premature.” —Sam Weinman
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