A look at the 20 top players in the world of Golf today: Rory McIlroy
Holywood, Ireland on 4th May 1989 was fortunate enough to have a star born on its land, Rory McIlroy a prodigy and the most exciting player on the golf scene since Tiger Woods.
He is an exceptional player, who started playing golf at the tender age of only 18 months, and was hitting a 40-yard drive at age 2.
McIlroy is very down to earth which is very refreshing to see after we have all witnessed the Tiger Woods family fiasco. McIlroy’s down to earth nature comes through the upbringing he received from his family, his father Gerry and mother Rosie McIlroy have
been working diligently and preparing young McIlroy for the big stage since he won the World Under 10s Championship in Doral, finishing the course 5 shots less than any of the other 80 contestants.
At age 15 McIlroy was a member of Europe’s winning 2004 Junior Ryder Cup team, the same year he also became the youngest ever winner of both the West of Ireland Championship and the Irish Close Championship at Biella Golf Club in Milan, Italy.
On 19th September 2007 McIlroy turned professional and in October at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship he finished 3rd place. The result gave McIlroy an opportunity to earn his first tour card, it also gave him an opportunity to
be the youngest affiliate member in the history of European Tour. He secured the card by finishing in a tie for 4th at the Open de Madrid Valle Romano.
Before the 2008 season started at the end of 2007 Tiger Woods invited McIlroy to play in the Target World Challenge, McIlroy had to politely decline as it was coinciding with the European Open.
Only 18 months into his professional career, McIlroy in 2009 earned an invitation to the US Masters, but his first professional win came when he won the Dubai Desert Classic at age 19, the win took McIlroy to 16th in the Official World Golf Rankings
(OWGR).
In May of 2010 McIlroy recorded his first PGA Tour win after shooting 62 in the final round of the Quail Hollow Championship; the win earned him a 2 year Tour exemption.
In the 2011 US Open McIlroy in the process of winning, set several records, most notably a 72-hole aggregate score of 268 (16 under), he also became the first player in history of the tournament to score a 13-under-par.
After the US Open win, McIlroy took a month off from competitive golf, but struggled when he returned at the Open Championship because of the weather conditions and the difficult layout at the Royal St George’s Golf Club.
McIlroy at age 22 has achieved a lot and broken a few records along the way, and yet he has a long way ahead of him to flourish and realize his true potential. He brings the youth into the game which is very important, for years golf has been tagged as a
dull sport, meant of older players and audiences, but players like Tiger Woods, Matte Manassero and Ryo Ishikawa have developed a younger fan following for not only themselves but overall golf as well. McIlroy definitely has the potential of becoming the number
1 ranked player and it would be interesting to see how McIlroy deals with the pressure of going up against Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer gunning for the top spot.
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