Rory McIlroy - The Anti-Tiger?

It was only three years ago when Tiger Woods finished off Rocco Mediate at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.  The win marked Tiger's 14th major championship victory, and moved him to within four of Jack Nicklaus, whose 18 titles are the most in history.  Since that day, there have been twelve majors.  Many would have predicted that Tiger would have caught Jack by now, but there are very few who would have guessed that he would come up completely dry. Yes, an "oh-fer" for Tiger in the last 12 majors.  Tiger is a polarizing figure. You love him or you hate him, but the bottom line is that he makes golf interesting to the masses.  Since Tiger's personal problems, swing changes, and his knee injury, there has been a void.  The golf world has seen nobodies like Charl Schwartzel, Loius Oosthuizen, and Lucas Glover win majors since that memorable day.  No Tiger versus Phil, or Jack versus Watson, or Jack versus Palmer rivalries.  Nobody at the top of the world rankings who anyone REALLY tunes in to see - Luke Donald? Lee Westwood? Martin Kaymer? Certainly, they are good players, but I don't know a single person who is waiting to see how Matt Kuchar is going to do at the British Open in a few weeks.

But something odd happened at Congressional Country Club last weekend.  A new star has emerged.  Someone shot 16-under par at the U.S. OPEN and his name was not Tiger?  He won by eight strokes?  Are you sure it wasn't Tiger?  We may have found the next in the line of "one namers" - Arnie, Jack, Seve, Tiger, and now....Rory?  Although it may be too early to say that Rory McIlroy is among golf's elite, he certainly has created quite a buzz.  At only 22 years old, he was the youngest U.S. Open winner in over a century.  He did more than just win on the golf course, he seemed to earn the respect and admiration of the gallery at Congressional and golf fans all around the world.

McIlroy did it all in a manner that we are not used to seeing.  Tiger has a presence and an intimidating air about him.  He has always been private, short and stoic with the media, and sometimes bordering on arrogant, even when he was just a 21 year old winning The Masters for the first time.  Rory was open, engaging, and talking candidly about the collapse he suffered at The Masters a few months ago.  On the course he looked like he was out for a walk in the park - relaxed, enjoying himself, yet confident.  Tiger stalks the golf course intensely and sometimes angrily.  He did not give canned answers and cliches as Tiger typically does.  He won people over with his honesty and good nature.  Other players like last year's winner Graeme McDowell, were quick to root for him and to compliment his demeanor and character.  When was the last time you heard a tour player gush about wanting Tiger to win?  There were no fist pumps or miraculous shots that are Tiger trademarks.  Rory just cruised, hitting 62 of 72 greens in regulation.  He made only three bogeys and one double-bogey in four days.    

In 2010, Rory was quoted as saying he wanted a piece of Tiger at the Ryder Cup, which apparently fired up Woods quite a bit.  My new wish is for Tiger to get healthy, get his game back on track, and to see these two go head-to-head at the top of the golf world. Although there are some obvious similarities in the two, I see a lot of things that make McIlroy "The Anti-Tiger".

Tiger:  Born and raised in Southern California, land of sunshine, beaches, movie stars, and gang riots.
Rory:  Born and raised in Northern Ireland - land of fog, castles, the IRA, and Guinness.

Tiger: Complexion of a bronzed god.  Chiseled physique.

Any resemblance?

Rory:  Complexion of mayonnaise.  Reminds you of the cowardly lion from Wizard of Oz.

Tiger:  Main sponsor - Nike - a global giant
Rory:  Main sponsor - Jumeriah - whatever that is

Tiger:  Sunday attire - Bright red - reminds you of blood, passion, and intimidation.
Rory:  Sunday attire - Light blue - reminds you of clouds and cotton candy.

Tiger:  Sees Jack Nicklaus as a bulls eye, shuns Memorial tournament with regularity
Rory:  Openly befriended by Jack Nicklaus, and thanked him for his advice

Tiger:  Robotically gives answers to press room questions.
Rory:  Speaks from the heart about collapsing in The Masters.

Tiger:  Hair is closely trimmed - all business
Rory:  Curly locks reminiscent of Bobby Clampett or Danny Noonan.

Rory  - Noonan

Tiger:  On-course f-bombs "F**k!"
Rory:  Aww shucks.

Tiger:  Self-proclaimed sex addict.
Rory:  Seemingly chaste.

Tiger:  Agent - IMG, sports powerhouse.
Rory:  Agent - Some guy named Chubby Chandler.

Tiger:  Father Earl Woods grooms Tiger from a young age to become a professional golfer.
Rory:  Father Gerry stands to win a bet of 200,000 Pounds if Rory wins a British Open before 2014.

Tiger:  Tiger Woods Foundation and First Tee
Rory:  UNICEF


Most important comparison!
Tiger:  14 majors, 623 weeks as number one on the world golf ranking
Rory:  1 major, 0 weeks as number one on the world golf ranking

I will give McIlroy credit for what he did at Congressional. It was an amazing display of golf and a historic victory.  He also gave people a reason to be excited about golf again.  Even casual fans of golf were talking about this kid over the weekend.  As incredible as it was, we should not be so quick to anoint Rory as the game's next great hero.  Love him or hate him, there really is only one Tiger Woods, and Rory has a long way to go before he can claim his resume is that good.  The British Open should be interesting.  Royal St. George's awaits.

Readers:  Have any Tiger and Rory comparisons of your own?  Leave your comments below!