By: Corey Donetz
At the young age of 22, Golf prodigy Rory McIlroy is just what the golf world needs after the Tiger Woods debacle. He is fan friendly and loved worldwide - much like Tiger once was. McIlroy is on the steady upswing climbing up golf’s rankings, and there looks to be no reason why he shouldn’t soon be the world’s #1 golfer. Rory certainly backed this up with his record setting display at this weekend’s U.S. Open, but before we give the Rory the crown, we mustn’t forget his predecessor, Mr. Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods.
Ask yourself this question – Where would golf be right now if Tiger Woods never picked up a golf club? The answer will obviously never be known, but hypothetically speaking it is quite interesting to think where the game would be. Although Tiger’s acts off the golf course are inexcusable, it is incredibly hard to argue that he is not the most influential golfer to step foot on the links. Tiger began his professional golf career about 15 years ago in August of 1996; he won his first major less than a year later in April at The Masters. Tiger went on to be named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, broke 20 records in the 1997 season, and after just 42 weeks of being a professional Tiger was ranked the world’s #1 golfer.
Tiger’s reign of dominance lasted well over a decade, being the highest paid athlete over that span (and still currently ranks as the highest paid athlete), winning a total 71 PGA Tour events which is 3rd all time, just two behind Jack Nicklaus and 11 behind Sam Snead, whom played 11 and 16 more years respectively. Tiger is also 2nd all time with 14 Major’s won, which is just four behind Nicklaus.
We all know the controversy that happened next to Tiger off the golf course, but when you put that on the backburner for a moment and put Tiger’s supremacy in perspective, it makes it all the more hard to imagine where and what gold would be without him. However all good things must come to an end, and Tiger is no exception.
With Tiger’s reign seemingly coming to an end, or perhaps already ended, it is time for a new star to rise up and take over the golf world’s spotlight. That spotlight is still currently vacant, but Rory can fill it if he continues to play up to par (pun intended). It is up to him whether or not he will continue to live up to the expectations, but if this weekend was a sign of things to come, the future looks very bright for both Rory McIlroy and the golf world.
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