Is McIlroy another Duval?

After another unimpressive performance at the  Shell Houston Open by Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy—the PGA’s latest Great White Hope/Dope—Tiger Woods has for the time being reclaimed his rightful position at the top of the golf world. How could he not when we’ve seen this all before? Remember David Duvall? He had a run at Tiger from 1997 to 1999, briefly claiming that Number One position in 1998. But Duvall was already going downhill fast when he won his only major championship, the 2001 British Open; if fact, since that highpoint of his career, Duvall has gone winless on the PGA Tour. Others, like Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson, hung around the fringes for awhile; but despite  impressive win totals,  they never really seriously threatened Woods’ perch for long. 

And now we have the new Golden Boy, and largely by default since the competition was largely comprised of pretenders. McIlroy wasn’t exactly lightening up the world on the European tour anyways; through 2012 he started 115 tournaments, and won a grand total of five. He has had relatively better success on the PGA tour—with six wins in 54 starts through 2012. But 2013 has not been kind to him; although not terrible, he has not been in contention in any of his PGA tournament appearances, and the #1 ranking he briefly held has melted away and disappeared; all it took was a few huffs and puffs from a revitalized Tiger to blow that media-created house of cards down.  

Since he was the anointed the “heir apparent” by golf commentators and fans eager to write Tiger off since his “troubles” dating from November 2009, there has been repeated efforts to artificially puff-up McIlroy, even after it has become clear that he is a head case who might not be psychologically ready to maintain the steely determination needed to dominate an individual sport the way Tiger has done for over a decade. Here is to hoping that Tiger makes golf “fans” who always begrudged his success wait a few years longer—by which time McIlroy may very well be just another barely-recalled pretender.

I’ve seen a video of a two-year-old Tiger Woods carrying his little golf bag with its plastic golf clubs on the set of the Mike Douglas Show; guest James Stewart was predictably game, but Bob Hope just stood there with his hands in his pocket, as if thinking to himself “Do I really have to waste my time watching this little black boy pretend to be a golfer?” Douglas had a bucket of balls ready, thinking this tiny tot might need more than one try; instead, Tiger nailed the first shot, to the awe of the audience. The down-to-earth Stewart actually picked up the tee that flown off, but Hope still just stood there, hands in pocket, with a patronizing look on his face, unimpressed. Little Tiger didn’t seem much impressed either with himself either, as if this was as natural to him as breathing.