As the British Open unfolds, it seems that nothing can stop the Northern Irishman from becoming the crowned victor of the 2014 tournament. Such are the odds of Rory that golf enthusiasts have already begun joking about the fact that the Claret Jug engraver should already start working so as to make sure mistakes are not repeated (as the one in 1947 when instead of Hoylake, the tournament seemed to take place at “Holylake”).
Rory McIlroy has not yet turned 26 and it would seem that he will indeed manage to make his father 50,000 pounds richer (his father has an ongoing bet at 500 to 1 odds that his son would win the Open before he turned 26).
But it is not just this bet that should make Rory McIlroy Senior proud. His son could become the third 25 year old golfer to ever win three major titles (after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods). On Sunday, the talented golfer had viewers breathless as he played his coupe de grace: two eagles in closing three holes. Mind you that no other player on the field managed to achieve an eagle at neither holes (the 16th and the 18th).
McIlroy’s only concern for Sunday and his all but certain coronation is the very talented Rickie Fowler. The two have been battling it out for years as they are both not only extremely gifted, but are also both inclined to offer viewers mercurial moments. Both players have come a long way from the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down, although it would seem that currently, there is indeed no rival that could touch Rory McIlroy when the game is going his way (or as he likes to call it, when he discovers his “inner peace”).
And truthfully, which player has, aside from him, recorded nine one-putt greens in just one round (all this under tremendous pressure)? Who has the composition of hitting the five-iron of his life from 237 yards after a complete bogey the hole before?
It is so refreshing to notice that McIlroy hasn’t lost his focus, as many believed after his season last year. Despite his struggle to adapt to Nike clubs and despite him missing the cut at Muirfield last year, what Rory McIlroy has shown golf fans at Hoylake is that his gift is unique among players: no matter what situation he is in, he will always find a way.
