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| Rory McIlroy, 2011 U.S. Open Champion. Clearly. |
Second, as Elissa noticed, McIlroy's swing is freaking beautiful. He has perfect rhythm. He's 5'10" and 160 pounds but effortlessly and consistently reaches 330 yards off the tee. He prefers to draw the ball but can get creative when he needs to scramble. And he's money with the putter from within 15 feet. As a bonus, word on the street is that his swing is virtually unchanged from when he was 14 years old. Since he doesn't seem to have a swing coach, it just goes to show that you can't teach a swing like that. You either have it or you don't.
Third, as Jack Nicklaus pointed out late in NBC's coverage of the final round, McIlroy has a confidence that borders on cocky but never crosses the line. He has a swagger, a noticeable bounce in his step, that helps his game but never trips him up. You can't help but like the guy -- just look at his Twitter feed! He just seems like a guy you want to join at the pub for a Guinness (Northern Ireland in the house!), a pro golfer who will still let you beat him in a friendly game of closest-to-the-pin at the driving range.
Many people have said that Tiger Woods has been waiting his entire career for a peer to finally challenge him. I disagree. I think we've been waiting for someone in the next generation to bounce Tiger from his throne as the Greatest Golfer In The World. And I think Rory McIlroy is that guy. He's the 22-year-old who's going to light a fire under Tiger and inspire him to make a real, genuine comeback and contend for another major (or two or three). And I cannot wait for the eventual Tiger vs. Rory showdown. Consider me part of Team Rory.
Lastly, I just saw the trailer for Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. I think it looks awesome, and I will definitely see it when it premieres on September 23. I propose a NYaT outing in New York City to go see this movie. Who's with me?
Here is the aforementioned trailer....enjoy!
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I didn't even click on the trailer yet but in the screenshot they have on the blog, you can clearly see Aaron Pierce from "24". Clear winner!
ReplyDeleteA golf swing is not natural, it is not god given. it is something that must be worked on and practiced . Rory has worked tirelessly hard to be as good as he is. he started very young---- like Tiger. I wish him much success, but let's not kid ourselves excellence in sports generally comes from much hard work. I think a good parallel is Dirk Nowitzki hitting crazy shots. Is he able to do this by being lucky, or by haveing "natural" talent? No he is only able to do this by working hard and practicing those crazy shots---- so he has the confidence to make the shots. A great story--- Gary Player crushes a drive and a person int he gallery says "I would give anything to have a swing like that" . Player turns to the person and says:" Really, would you practice for hours and hours each day until your hands bleed for years, and years? Because that's how it happens." The quote speaks for itself.
ReplyDeleteEd -- I've heard the Gary Player quote before and it's a great one. But years of practice only go so far. I could hit the batting cage for 3 hours every night and I'll never hit like Robinson Cano, and I could hit the driving range for 3 hours every morning and I could never consistently land 175 yard approaches within 5 feet like Phil, Tiger, and Rory.
ReplyDeleteSimply put, working hard and practicing for hours will only get you so far. There's a reason why some guys go pro and some guys shoot hoops in the driveway. Rory McIlroy was absolutely, positively born and blessed with natural talent that you just can't teach. He has a swing that I will never have, no matter how much I make my hands bleed with practice.
That said, Ed, I do agree that Rory works hard and practices his game diligently. It's not like he showed up and won the U.S. Open because he has a pretty swing. He earned it by fine-tuning his God-given skills throughout his young career.