Kiawah Island, S.C. -- He's a dozen majors behind, but Rory McIlroy is also one major closer to Tiger Woods than he was a week ago.
And he is already drawing the inevitable comparisons.
"I've won my second major championship at the same age as he did," McIlroy said, although that wasn't exactly accurate. He is, in fact, three months younger than Woods was he was his second major. He also became the youngest man to win the PGA since 1931.
His eight-shot victory at the Ocean Course was also the largest margin in PGA Championship history. And he shot 13-under on a course where nobody thought that sort of score was possible.
Both his major victories have been by eight shots – the first coming last year at the U.S. Open, and he and Tiger are the only players under age 40 to have more than one major championship title.
So, everyone can be forgiven for drawing the inevitable comparisons.
McIlroy understands it, but also does his best to tamp it down.
"(Tiger) went on that incredible run like 2000, 2001, 2002 and won so many. You know, I'd love to sit up here and tell you that I'm going to do the same thing, but I just don't know. It's been great to win my first major last year and to back that up with another one this year; I can't ask for any more. I just want to keep working hard, keep practicing, and hopefully there are a few more of these in my closet when my career finishes."
And therein lies the difference between the two. Tiger has never shown that sort of difference to another active player. In fact, when asked to put his finger on his problems at this major, he said he had tried to have fun out there and wasn't intense enough.
McIlroy didn't have to try to have fun. It is part of his nature. When is putting coach Dave Stockton mentioned that he should remember to have a good time, McIlroy ran away from the field.
"We had a chat last week in Akron and he just said to me, ‘Just go out and play with a smile on your face. Enjoy it. This is what you've always wanted to do since you were a little boy. There's no point in getting frustrated out there or getting upset. Just go out and enjoy it.' That's the attitude that I had for the last couple weeks, and it definitely helped."
Fans sense joy coming from McIlroy. That is why they have embraced him with such an emotional fervor. Chants of "Rory, Rory" echoed up from the 18th green as he walked up on Sunday. And tears streamed down the faces of perfect strangers when the 23-year-old winner embraced his dad at the end.
"He's going to be the player that kids look up to, that kinds measure their own wannabe games by," fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell said. "Ten years ago it was Tiger Woods. It's still Tiger Woods to a certain extent, but now we've got superstars like Rory McIlroy for kids to be looking at…with a great attitude and great charisma and great character. That's pretty much it in a nutshell: he's great for the game, an absolute breath of fresh air for the game of golf."
Tiger has been described a lot of ways during his career, but "a breath of fresh air," is not the first thing that pops into people's minds.
"I realize that every time my face is on TV or I'm playing in a tournament, that I am a role model for a lot of people and a lot of kids do look up to me," Rory said. "I try to do my best in that regard and put myself across as honestly and as modestly as possible. Some can view it as a big responsibility, but I think if you just go about your life and live it normally and live it the way you always would, I think everything's okay. But it's a huge honor to be put in that position. To have an effect on so many people's lives is a nice feeling."
Rory and Tiger – honestly and modestly – the comparisons couldn't be more stark.
