unlike the argument by sabermetricians that mike trout
and not triple crown winner miguel cabrera should have
been awarded the american league mvp, there are no
statistics that support anyone other than rory mcilroy being Golf World Monday’s pga tour player of the Year. the
23-year-old from northern ireland won four times—
including a major and two playoff events—and was first in scoring
average and on the money list. tiger woods’ three wins
without a major and brandt snedeker’s fedexcup victory
simply aren’t comparable in quantity or quality. mcilroy’s
comprehensive eight-stroke victory at the pga championship put an exclamation point on a season in which he
showed a marked improvement in his course management
and short game, but particularly and most importantly
in his putting. mcilroy also demonstrated an increased
comfort with big moments, especially in his surgical and
crucial ryder cup singles victory over a hot Keegan bradley.
in 2012, mcilroy parlayed awesome physical talent with
improved internal and external organization to become the
official and undisputed no. 1 player in the world. as long as
he can maintain his current upward trajectory against the
increasing and often corrosive forces of fame and fortune,
it will take something monumental (by woods?) to replace
him as the best in the game.—Jaime Diaz (@JaimeDiaz24)
mcilroy;is;tops
oN;tour 03
cHarles laberge
cover // contents // 10 things // lpga tour // european tour // eQuipment // tim rosaforte
