Is Rory McIlroy the next Tiger Woods?
Rory McIlroy's impressive victory at the 2011 US Open shattered a dozen records. His dominance already has many comparing the young man from Northern Ireland to Tiger Woods.
Rory McIlroy hugs his father Gerry on the 18th green after winning the U.S. Open Championship golf tournament in Bethesda, Md., Sunday, June 19, 2011.
Nick Wass/AP
Is Rory McIlroy the Celtic Tiger?
He certainly reminded fans of a young Tiger Woods with the emphatic manner in which he crushed all opponents at the US Open at Congressional.
The 22 year old from Northern Ireland broke 12 records (including a few set by Tiger Woods) in his 16-under-par victory Sunday and his first win of a golf "major" tournament.
More importantly, he vanquished all memories of his final round collapse at the Masters in April.
The truth is, Rory McIlory has been knocking on the door of greatness for the past year. In four of the last seven of golf's majors, he's finished in the top 3.
How big was Sunday's win?
His 16-under-par victory not only bested Tiger Wood's famous 14-under-par US Open win at Pebble Beach in 2000, it was two strokes better than the last 10 US Open champions combined.
