Rory McIlroy Topic (Was "Overrated")

[senorchipotle]

By no means am I saying that he isn't good, cause he's great. He's just not that great. I think Rory will be the next Lee Westwood, albeit with a prettier swing. I know a lot of you think/wish/hope he'll be the second coming, but I'm not buying that product. He hasn't shown me that fire you need to be a multiple major winner. I say he finishes his career with 2, maybe 3 majors and 10-15 tournament wins. I reckon he'll be a hall of famer, but never classed with the likes of tiger, jack, palmer, player, etc. thoughts...?

[SouthernILGolfer]

I think it will interesting to see him and Rickie Fowler over the next 10-15 years to see who ends up being the better player. He's just 21, though Tiger already had a Masters on his resume by 21. Westwood has made it all the way to number 1 in the world without a major victory yet. As long as he doesnt become the next Sergio Garcia, all the talent in the world, come close a couple times to winning a major and then because of attitude basically lose it and become insignificant.

[sean_miller]

By no means am I saying that he isn't good, cause he's great. He's just not that great. I think Rory will be the next Lee Westwood, albeit with a prettier swing. I know a lot of you think/wish/hope he'll be the second coming, but I'm not buying that product. He hasn't shown me that fire you need to be a multiple major winner. I say he finishes his career with 2, maybe 3 majors and 10-15 tournament wins. I reckon he'll be a hall of famer, but never classed with the likes of tiger, jack, palmer, player, etc. thoughts...?

He's pretty good for a 21 year old. I'd be willing to bet a little money he'll win more tournaments than O'Hair, Kim, and Villegas put together when all is said and done.

[Zeph]

I say we don't have a clue and can't possibly guesstimate the future for anyone on the PGA Tour.

[Bo the Golfer]

I'm with Zeph. Plus I never get the point when people say a player won't be as great as Jack, Tiger, Palmer, etc. Those are the all time greats of the game and to use them as a barometer of someone being overrated seems a bit much IMHO.

[Leftygolfer]

I don't think anyone expects him to be the next tiger. I bet he is going to win a bunch more than 15 times worldwide. Tiger was a freak as jack was. Player and Palmer aren't in the same class.

[Clambake]

The kids got talent galore, but I wonder if he has the focus and drive. We following him awhile during a practice round for the US Open last summer at Pebble, and while most of the other players seemed to be preparing hard, working with their caddies trying different shots, scoping out where to place the ball, etc., Rory seemed to be just going through the motions and not even concentrating at all on what he was doing. Most of the time he was on his Blackberry tapping out messages right up to when he'd hit the ball, then he'd just quickly grab a club and hit and then pull out the Blackberry again. At one point someone in the gallery beside me asked what he was chatting about, and Rory replied he was checking out picture of his new Ferrari and sending them to friends. I'm pleased for him that he's enjoying a Ferrari at 21 (actually I'm jealous as can be but that's a different issue), but frankly if it were me and I were trying to make my mark as a great player in a major like the Open at Pebble, I think I'd be working at preparing as much as possible and not just out for a casual stroll sharing car pictures with my mates.

Talent, undeniable. Ambition and drive? The jury is still out......

[senorchipotle]

The kids got talent galore, but I wonder if he has the focus and drive. We following him awhile during a practice round for the US Open last summer at Pebble, and while most of the other players seemed to be preparing hard, working with their caddies trying different shots, scoping out where to place the ball, etc., Rory seemed to be just going through the motions and not even concentrating at all on what he was doing. Most of the time he was on his Blackberry tapping out messages right up to when he'd hit the ball, then he'd just quickly grab a club and hit and then pull out the Blackberry again. At one point someone in the gallery beside me asked what he was chatting about, and Rory replied he was checking out picture of his new Ferrari and sending them to friends. I'm pleased for him that he's enjoying a Ferrari at 21 (actually I'm jealous as can be but that's a different issue), but frankly if it were me and I were trying to make my mark as a great player in a major like the Open at Pebble, I think I'd be working at preparing as much as possible and not just out for a casual stroll sharing car pictures with my mates.

this is exactly what i mean. he's got the talent to be great, but so does pretty much everybody out there. i haven't seen that drive from him. he's just happy to be a young, rich man; like ricky fowler and AK. I think camilo has IT, as far as the mental game goes, i just don't think he has as much talent. i've said it before and i'll say it again, i think matteo mannassero will be the next ''great'' golfer. after seeing him in a few tournaments, i can tell he has that intangible that rory is, at the moment, lacking.

[jamo]

I reckon he'll be a hall of famer, but never classed with the likes of tiger, jack, palmer, player, etc. thoughts...?

I guess I agree with this sentence, but I don't think he's overrated. I haven't heard too many people think he's the next Jack or Tiger. I don't think he's over- or under-rated. Just...well... rated.

[WUTiger]

By no means am I saying that he isn't good, cause he's great. ... He hasn't shown me that fire you need to be a multiple major winner...

Not everyone is a charging Arnold Palmer, or a fist-pumping Tiger Woods. You say Rory won't be a Jack, but Jack Nicklaus was more of an iceman when he played, not fiery.

Not sure what you mean by the word fire. I hope you're not going the way of the network TV guys, who moan that "unqualified" people are winning majors and hurting longterm TV ratings. Marketing analysts say casual golf-watchers are less likely to tune in unless a marquee player is leading the tournament. Not sure I like the idea of tweaking golfdom in favor of the faint-hearted. Don't people who truly care about the game get any consideration? Nothing against you personally, SC. Didn't mean to go off on you. I just get upset at TV types who want to slant reality to increase TV revenues at all costs, rather than reflect reality. We'll save discussion on the college football BCS (big cash system) playoffs for another day.

[sean_miller]

this is exactly what i mean. he's got the talent to be great, but so does pretty much everybody out there. i haven't seen that drive from him. he's just happy to be a young, rich man; like ricky fowler and AK. I think camilo has IT, as far as the mental game goes, i just don't think he has as much talent. i've said it before and i'll say it again, i think matteo mannassero will be the next ''great'' golfer. after seeing him in a few tournaments, i can tell he has that intangible that rory is, at the moment, lacking.

What does villegas have? A 2 win season, a 1 win season, and a goofy pre-putt routine?

[soloredd]

Overrated? So this is what sports has become. At 21-years old, if you haven't won two majors or two world championships or two Heisman trophies you are overrated. Wow. How about we give the kid a few years to adjust to everything before we start chopping his legs out from under him, huh?

McIlroy, Ishikawa, Fowler, Mannassero, Molinari brothers, AK, etc. I think we should just sit back and enjoy what these kids bring to the Tour and quit trying to find the next Tiger or Jack. It's the same thing in the NBA. For 10 years people have been trying to find the next Michael Jordan. Quickly, we've missed out on some great players that have come through. A shame.

[Judah Ben-Hur]

From what I've seen, I wish he would slow it down a notch on the green. I can't get a good read from my crystal ball on him being overrated or not.

[Tiger Spuds]

I'd agree with a few of the other comments here, nobody ever said he's going to be another Tiger. But at his age, his finishes in the top tournaments would suggest he has the talent and mental makeup to go far in the game. His putting is his weakness and to be honest it hasn't improved much in the last year. Until he improves it a tad, it's always going to hold him back. I can see him having a Phil-like career all the same, 3 or 4 majors is a real possibility for him.

[Zach Attack]

I don't think another "Tiger" or "Jack" will be seen with this current crop of young players. Mainly because they're all so darn good that they'll be beating one another at every other tournament. There is not going to be another 14 or 18 major winner out there because all these guys are too good. Not one stands out from the others, they're all incredibly talented and will ensure that competitive golf, at it's highest level, will be a ton of fun to watch for the next 15- 20 years.

[newtogolf]

Someone who is 21 can't really be overrated. I hear commentators mention he has a nice swing, and great potential, but that doesn't make him overrated. As for his preparation for the Open, cmon, have you forgotten what it's like to be 20? Imagine being 20 with his life, potential and the fact he was in a position to order a Ferrari. I don't think we want to make snap judgments about a kid based on one days observations on probably one of the most exciting days of his life.

If in ten years he still has not won a major and isn't consistently contending in tournaments maybe then we can look back and say he was overrated, but right now it's way too early to label him that.

[Fat Slice]

He's young - his personality isn't fully formed. I don't think we can reasonably guess at his future. We know he has game now, of course, but who knows what he can do with that.

[wrx_junki]

Overrated by who? Surely not by me but I do know of a lot of juniors look to him because they love his swing. I also don't think he has the fire or consistency to be great but who knows maybe a few years and he'll be on top of the leaderboard week in week out.