On Top
Of The
World
Shapiro: Golf’s New Top Dog
The Dish On Haney’s Book
Asked And
Answered
The only thing more impressive than Tiger
Woods’ Sunday 62 in Florida, capped by a
thunderous eagle on the 72nd hole, was this:
Rory’s McIlroy’s immediate response.
In the heat of golf’s hottest battle of the
year, the 22-year-old Ulsterman coolly one-putted four of the next five greens.
So now he is the No. 1-ranked player in the
world with a future bigger than the Irish Sea.
Blending a seamless mix of confidence,
talent, competitive agility and pure guile,
McIlroy escaped a charging Tiger and
circumnavigated a Bear Trap.
“Guts,” was the one-word explanation two-time major champion Johnny Miller offered
his American television audience afterward.
McIlroy needed all of this and more to
fight off the lowest Sunday round of Woods’
legendary PGA Tour career, and win the
Honda Classic by two shots.
It is interesting to note that after 54 holes
Woods said, among other things, that McIlroy
still had “a lot to learn.”
And as terrific as it was to see Woods
closer than ever to regaining his lost form, you
can’t help but think it was Woods who learned
a little about the freckle-faced, ascendant
manchild from across the pond who, for now,
has captured the lightning Woods used to
keep in his very own bottle.
The best quote of the week came from
veteran Dicky Pride, paired with McIlroy on
Saturday. “I’m holding back so much right
now,” Pride said, trying and failing not to gush
at what he had just witnessed from McIlroy.
“What a sexy beast.”
They used to talk that way about Tiger.
Brian Hewitt
Loar Hangs On In Panama
