Rory McIlroy’s topsy-turvy performance in 2010 Golf Ryder Cup
The much anticipated Ryder Cup match finally came to a dramatic end on Monday, 4th of October. The match ended on the Europeans side after the line-up gave a tough shake to the yanks. Among the brilliant performances by the Francesco and Edoardo
Molinari brothers, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Steve Stricker and Lee Westwood; Rory Mcllory had a rather interesting game too. His game had been promising victory at one instant, but then he gave a criminally unsatisfying ball-game on at the foursomes.
On the 17th hole of the fourball game, McIlroy and the crowd roared in delight as he bought his and Graeme McDowell’s game to level with their opponents Stuart Cink and Matt Kuchar. The comeback achieved against the yanks was marked as the putt
of the week played by the 21-year-old McIlroy.
This was the morning’s play; in afternoon the situation was rather different. The setting sun could only see Graeme McDowell consoling McIlory. The 21-year-old was playing to square the match in the late afternoon which was only one short. However, McIlory
missed the game and threatened the whole game to be soon lost.
His afternoon game was marked as one of the unplumbed Ryder Cup mysteries until now. What confused many fans and critics together was him attaining one hole from the distance of 35 feet but then missing the other with a mere 5 feet between him and the cup.
Rewinding the game to Friday, the 11 holes on the 5th day of the week saw nothing of ‘the birdie machine’ fans thought he would become. After that however, McIlory emerged on the surface carefully attaining all the big putts. By the 17th hole,
the two point deficiency attained before had disappeared on the greens.
Until the 17th hole it was speculated that McIlory would finish his last 18th hole in a glamorous manner but fate had other plans. The 18th had a lethal lake bunker between the hole and the tee area, which engulfed McIlroy’s
ball somewhere. His so-called match winning play had turned soggy by the already drenched Ryder Cup’s last-hole lake two times.
Despite the earlier display, his partner was still amazed by McIlroy’s performance. McDowell exclaimed McIlroy to be one of the biggest players he had ever seen. “The guy was off the charts” McDowell said.
The 21-year-old later proved his McDowell’s remark right. He recovered one of McDowell’s shot that had found the water. At the 8th hole of the foursome’s afternoon, McIlory played the 15 foot putt for a birdie and attained it.
The 12th hole saw McIlory rescuing the ball from the rough too. The nine-inch torture had 5 feet to cover which was recovered by McIlory in an overwhelming fashion.
At the 17th hole McDowell displayed another impressive game by playing an awesome tee-shot, as he hugged and congratulated his partner with much respect in his eyes.
Then there was Cink at times, who had only been 20 feet away from the hole, and for McIlroy, he unfortunately holed.
The 18th on the Saturday had McIlroy being phased-off to the limit. The last hole welcomed a crest-fallen McIlroy who missed a simple chip in the slot. His previous action handed the victory to the yanks, they lost the game and a long tough day
ended.
Nonetheless, Sunday’s game and Monday’s performances had been enough for the 21-year-old to display his unique golf skills in the Ryder Cup. The 5 feet-hole-putt achieved by the young golfer was enough to hand him a half point. The all-important half point
thus achieved was marked crucial against Cink.
McIlroy, at the end of his tremendous game stated that Ryder Cup was truly the best golfing event in the world.
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