Monday, March 5, 2012

McIlroy Wins at the Honda Classic to Ascend to World Number One

Rory McIlroy moved to the top of the world of golf on Sunday when he won the Honda Classic over a surging Tiger Woods, who shot 62 to put the heat on the young Irishman.  The win vaulted him to the top of the World Golf Rankings, ahead of Luke Donald.

McIlroy's 12 under par total was good enough to win by two shots over none other than Tiger Woods, who shot an astounding 62 on Sunday, including a birdie-eagle close, to finish at 10 under.  McIlroy was steady on the front as he saved par a few times, but he really saved himself on the back nine with three up-and-downs after nervous iron swings.  Those three saves won him the tournament and put him on top of the golfing world.  While the kid may have forgotten to wear sunscreen this week, he can now say he is the best in the world at what he does.  This has been his dream in the making since he was a little kid, so it's nice to see him fulfill that and do so at such a young age.

As a Tiger Woods fan (understatement), I want to talk about just how well he played and what I see for him down the road.  The 62 was his best final round score ever.  When the man figures out his putting, like he did for the final two days of this tournament, he still can be unstoppable.  Minus a few rounds, he has been hitting it great and just struggled with the flatstick, but yesterday was thrilling for me to watch him play great.  It's good to see the fist pump back in action and can't wait to see what he has in the tank in the coming week, especially with The Masters just a month away.

I know many of my readers may bash me for being a Tiger Woods fan because of his behavior issues and all that's gone wrong in his recent post.  I do not support what he did off the course, but I want to see him get back to playing magical golf.  And let me put it this way: I'm loyal and still believe he is the best golfer on this planet.  While many golf fans had given up on him, I have watched this ugly mess knowing that good golf from Tiger is to come.  People have jumped from player to player following giving up on Tiger Woods, supporting the likes of Donald, McIlroy, Kaymer, Westwood, etc.  I do not mind that these fans have jumped off the train, but I don't want them back when Tiger starts winning.  You can keep rooting for those guys all you want, but I don't want you to suddenly start shouting the praises of Tiger when the tides turn.

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