Now, anything is possible. When I wrote after Augusta that the crumbling, humbling nature of his collapse could be the making of Rory McIlroy, I must admit I never foresaw what he achieved at an otherwise anti-climactic US Open last weekend.
The ‘Next Tiger Woods’ tag has been dangling awkwardly around the young Ulsterman’s neck since his teens, and his insouciance in enjoying that billing tended to grate a tad. He seemed in too much of a hurry. But having the travails of Georgia on his mind looks like being the best thing that ever happened him. Good things come to those who wait – albeit only a couple of months in his case.
