Rory McIlroy, a guy that many have touted to be the game’s next dominant force and even the game’s next Tiger Woods, demonstrated yet again yesterday afternoon why he is still vastly different to Woods.
There was perhaps more at stake yesterday afternoon at Dove Mountain for McIlroy than anyone else in the field.
If McIlroy were to claim the Accenture Match Play title, he would not only gain his third PGA Tour victory, a slew of World Golf Ranking points and begin to establish himself as a truly dominant force in the game, but he would also supplant Luke Donald as the No.1-ranked player in the world.
After defeating European Tour rival Lee Westwood during the semi-finals, McIlroy was a mere 18 holes away from becoming the second-youngest player ever to claim the top spot in the World Golf Rankings.
But it was not to be.
The 22-year-old native of Northern Ireland came out flat, and even a back-nine run of four birdies in five holes was not enough to tame a red-hot Hunter Mahan.
Mahan, who had a four-up lead through ten holes, finally closed out the match with a two-up victory on the 17th to claim his second World Golf Championship title in the past three years.
In the last four-and-a-half years, McIlory has won four official events, including the 2011 U.S. Open Championship (his fifth win last October at the Shanghai Masters is not considered an official win because it was not sanctioned by any major tour).
An incredibly impressive record for a 22-year-old for sure, but there is also a trend developing that may just prevent McIlroy from becoming “the next dominant force” or “the next Tiger Woods.”
Although McIlory has captured five worldwide titles in five years (official and unofficial), he has also let numerous other tournaments, including the 2011 Masters, slip through his hands on the weekend.
Perhaps we are just witnessing a learning curve for the game’s next great golfer, similar to what we saw with a young Ben Hogan or a young Tom Watson, or perhaps this is something that may plague McIlroy during the course of his career, similar to the way in which weekend meltdowns have plagued Phil Mickelson throughout his 20-year career.
The difference with Woods?
Well, let’s just say that the chances of a young Woods leaving that desert without a victory yesterday afternoon considering all that was on the line would have been slim to none.
Woods has held at least a share of the 54-hole lead 61 times during his career and only nine times has he failed to close out the tournament with a win.
And three out of those nine have come in just the last two-and-a-half years.
So, during the first 11 years of his career, Woods won nearly 90% of the time when holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead.
In just four-and-a-half years as a pro, McIlroy has probably blown close to if not as many 54-hole leads as Woods has blown in his entire career.
That’s not to say that there is anything inherently wrong with McIlroy or that he will not wind up being a great player.
But, the true greats have an uncanny ability to seize opportunities when they are presented to them.
McIlroy may very well become the face of this next generation in professional golf, but before we begin labeling him as the game’s “next dominant force” or the “next Tiger Woods”, just ask yourself this: Is there any way imaginable that a young Woods would have left that desert yesterday afternoon without a win considering all that was on the line?
