McIlroy's attitude, play show he's comfortable as golf's top dog
Rory McIlroy did some backtracking on Thursday, and not just on the scorecard, where he followed four birdies with three bogeys in the first round of the Tour Championship.
The world no. 1 – three shots off the lead of Billy Horschel and Chris Kirk – felt the need to clarify comments he’d made on Wednesday about the absence at East Lake of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
“Got a question today about Tiger and Phil... Gave an honest answer, was very complimentary about the 2 best golfers of this generation,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Golfers on average have a 20-25 year career, both into the back 9 of their careers... Don't think there's anything wrong with saying that.”
For the first time since 1992, neither of the two pre-eminent golfers of this era qualified for a Tour Championship.
Woods, of course, is recuperating for a second time from back surgery after a disastrous attempt at coming back early – he wouldn’t have made the FedEX Cup playoffs anyway – while Mickelson suffered through the first winless season of his career.
The Californian controversially withdrew from last week’s BMW Championship in Denver when he realized he had no chance of advancing to the Tour’s finale.
To some, then, their absence might be the signal of a changing of the guard in golf.
“They’re just getting older,” McIlroy said on Wednesday.
“Phil’s 43 or whatever he is and Tiger’s nearly 40. So they’re getting into the sort of last few holes of their career.
“And that’s what happens. You get injured. Phil has to deal with an arthritic condition as well. So it obviously just gets harder as you get older.
“I’ll be able to tell you in 20 years how it feels.”
Even though McIlroy softened those sentiments by acknowledging how great both Woods and Mickelson have been – and can still be – there was a little bit of a sting in his words.
And it was intended.
But was it malicious?
Not at all.
It was said with a smile.
Both Tiger and Phil have no problem giving a little good-natured stick to McIlroy, and he was just responding in kind.
Woods, especially, is fond of needling his young Nike stablemate.
And McIlroy isn’t a shrinking violet.
He said on Thursday that he’d said “much worse” to Woods and that it was all done in fun.
But if there’s something deeper to read into this, it has nothing to do with disrespect but an acknowledgement that Mickelson’s – and probably Tiger’s too – best days are behind them.
McIlroy – clearly buoyed by winning back-to-back majors at Hoylake and Valhalla – is, at 25, the king of his domain and he’s comfortable wearing the mantle.
To look at him as he bounces down the fairway chasing one of his patented 300-yard drives is to know that it’s good to be young.
Old guys don't really rule.
Meanwhile, McIlroy showed on Thursday that his game and not just his attitude has evolved, too.
His play was very up-and-down but he still found a way to shoot a 1-under par 69 and remain in touch with the leaders as the 29 players left vie for not just the $1.44 million at stake for winning this tournament, but the $10 million FedEX Cup bonus.
“I haven’t been firing on all cylinders for the past couple of weeks,” he said.
“I could have let the round get away from me a little bit, but I hung together well. And one under par is not out of it.”
“In years gone by," McIlroy acknowledged, this could have easily been a round where he’d end up “shooting a 73 or 74."
“It's really an important week. It's not a week to give up. It's a week to keep hanging in there and having a nice couple par putts and looking forward to the finish.”
While McIlroy was having a bit of fun at the expense of a couple of “old guys," his ex-fiancee, Caroline Wozniacki, was having a little dig at him.
She was asked what kind of man she’s now looking for and took a dig at McIlroy’s height (he’s 5-foot-8 while she’s 5-foot-10).
“I would like a taller guy so I can wear high heels,” she said.
“I’m pretty strict with my box ticking. I look for someone who is honest, fun to be around and doesn’t take himself too seriously.”
It’s unlikely she’ll feel the need to clarify her comments.
But it’s also unlikely McIlroy will feel offended.
He’s got a good sense of humor.
