The Open Championship

cool

 

That's high praise for a guy whose game was a flat-out mess for the last year and half; be it the clubs (he was required to switch to Nike gear), endorsements, or women issues .. whatever.
He's dominated the weekend no question. And he has a ton of talent. But I think he's more Bubba Watson (soft on the mental side) than Woods or Nicklaus.
Good. Yes.
Very good. Ok.
All-time great? ... ... ...

 

Absolutely an all-time great.

When he wins tomorrow, there will be only three guys with three majors before the were 26.

Nicklaus, Woods, McIlroy.

The two majors he won, he DOMINATED. He may do it again. He's going to do this for a long time.

 

This probably means he is winning the breakup too. Which sucks. Because karma really should have torn him apart for that one.

 

Nah.
I'll believe it when I see it.
There are what three, four golfers with double-digit major wins - NONE are European. For whatever reason, they are not that good. Faldo is prolly the greatest modern Eurpoean player of all-time and he has six majors. I think Rory could be better. But Nicklaus good? No.
Three wins by age 25 is a hell of mark - but is also hell of leap to make it 11, muchless 6. He's had some dominate wins, no question. But he was also a non-factor in a lot of others - that's something that couldn't have been said about Woods or Nicklaus.
The kid still has a way to go. He bags a pair majors between Monday and the end of 2015, I'll get in line. Until then .. not just yet.

That said, I think this win solidifies Rory as THE star in the world of golf.
I think he has no chance to lose this. Fowler's a fine golfer, but no a closer and not a major-caliber closer.


That said ...
Who's the better Best Golfer to Have Never Won a Major:
Sergio or Monty?

 

She must have been an incredible shrew for him to be playing this well this soon after. She must have felt like an incredible anchor around his neck.

 

No doubt.
His new girlfriend is def. a trade up - in the loos department.
I think Woz has more personality.

 

Monty, by far. He won the Order of Merit (the European Money List) eight times, including seven in a row. Should have won at least two majors. Arguably the greatest European Ryder Cup player of all time.

As for the Rory stuff, keep in mind that after Tiger won the Masters in 1997, he didn't win another major for 2.5 years. His bad golf is much worse than Tiger's bad golf, no argument there. Tiger's consistency, even when he was undergoing swing changes, was amazing. But Rory's good golf is as good as Tiger's good golf. He's probably one of the greatest drivers of the golf ball we've ever seen. He hits his long irons higher than anyone alive, which gives him a huge advantage on Par 5s.

I'm not sure what being European has to do with his ceiling as a player. I'd wager very little since he lives in Florida and plays pretty much a full PGA Tour schedule. Faldo was a killer, but he was a mechanical player. He was never physically better than everyone the way Rory is.

He's emotional and prone to wear those emotions on his sleeve. It's physically impossible to imagine Tiger or Jack in tears on the course the way Rory was when he shot 80 after he held the lead at the Masters going into Sunday. But I didn't say he'd be Nicklaus good either. I think he's going to be Watson good, and that's his floor, not his ceiling.

Keep in mind that Mickelson — no matter what you think of him — is a Top 15 golfer of all time. He won his first major when he was 34 years old. Rory won't be 34 for another nine years.

 

I don't know what being from Europe has to do with it either, but it does.
The best individual golfers in the world over the last 100 years are not from there. Period.
I don't know why, I just know it's true.
I think Rory's openess hurts him. He's one hell of a player. His attitude? I dunno. Like you said, you'd never see Nicklaus or Woods teary-eyed. Neither of them ever suffered the his Masters meltdown. That was Norman-esqe.

Even Watson good is hard to comprehend. Watson is Mr. Open. That's still rarified air. Only Nicklaus (PGA and Masters) and Hagen won an event at least five times.

Somebody's always a long hitter. A decade ago it was Woods.

 

I love Monty. He's my guilty pleasure.
I so disappointed when he choked at Winged Foot in 2006. It was the (fitting) icing to his career.
God Damn, I wanted him to beat Tiger at St. Andrews in 2005.

Sergio sucks.

 

[Multi-post error. My bad.]