Rory has no star power

[RJH999]

The "decline of golf" talk that has been going on lately is nonsense.  Yes, golf may have been at a peak during the last 15 years (thanks wholly to Tiger's impact) and the sport may be finding it's level, but this is the same line of thinking that gets governments in financial trouble when the stock market hits a peak and then they make 20-30 year projections based no maintaining the same level we see in peak years.  It's simply not feasible. That being said, there is a lot going on in golf around the world, especially China.

What are you referring to in that last sentence?

[Shorty]

Rory has had more star power than 80% of the golfing world combined since he was 16 years old.

Anyone who follows golf seriously with a global perspective (and I've said this a dozen times here) knew 10 years ago that he was going to be the best in the world. I believe that at 17 he was clearly the best ball striker on the planet. But a lot of American fans don't see the Asian and European tour events and didn't know who he was until he played in the U.S. before returning to the European Tour.

He will be as popular as Woods, if not more popular.

People are already anticipating the 2015 Masters. Even if Rory doesn't make the cut, the point is that we're talking about it.

And....the legitimate question to be asked now is "Could Rory possibly equal or beat Tiger's Major record?" Time will tell, but he might.

[Chris223]

I don't think he will be either.  I want to see an American win tournaments.  I can't believe how pathetic we look right now against the top players from around the world.  We get spanked in the Ryder Cup year after year.  I don't particularly like Rory either.  Don't hate him, but don't particularly like him.  Like the OP said - he doesn't have the charisma that can attract the non-hardcore golf fan to watch or play.  I have always been an enormous Phil fan - because Phil makes golf worth watching.  Much the way Tiger did back in his prime although his was strictly because of his golf shots, he didn't have much of a personality like Phil.  I can watch Rory, but he's certainly a lot more boring to watch than say Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson or Phil.  I also get bored of watching Rory run away with tournaments.  Rory may turn out to be a dominant player and that's all nice, I just hope Rickie or Speith can start playing at an elite level consistently too.  It's boring to watch Rory make the turn at a major with a 5 shot lead.

[zipazoid]

Like a lot of people mentioned, Rory is not Tiger as far as the needle goes.

First of all, golf hadn't had a dominant star since Jack and so Tiger was appealing to a new generation. Not to mention, he was able to appeal to minorities, which is a big audience. Tiger had that fire about him and stature that people loved. I think Rory is still caught up in that "Tiger generation."

Secondly, I think the fact Rory is a Euro does play a factor, albeit not a big one...but a little bit.

That being said, Rory has star power and he's going to move the needle....maybe not as much as Tiger, but he will move it. I think Rickie Fowler needs to step up and be the guy to challenge him. I think if Rickie-Rory can create a rivalry and start trading majors, you'll see the game of golf elevate at an incredible level. Then you'll really start to see the needle really move like the days of Tiger. I really think Rickie has the personality. He and Rory would be like Tiger to Phil and Jack to Arnie. They're different and make great rivals. Nothing against Jordan Spieth, but i'm not sure he has that personality and flare like Rickie and Rory have.

Great point.

The one thing Tiger never really had was a true rival. If a Ricky/Rory rivalry unfolds, it would be very viable replacement for what appears to be the tail end of Tiger's career.

And even if it's not the tail end of his career, he's just about a generation removed from them in terms of age. Point being, for those looking for something to fill the Tiger Void, there it is.

[Aflighter]

I  think rory will have plenty of star power unless your one of the tiger worshippers.Rory being non American will probably keep him less popular here in the states.Yesterday I was pulling against rory just like I would tiger because I wanted to see someone else win.

[ChrisP]

Great point.

The one thing Tiger never really had was a true rival. If a Ricky/Rory rivalry unfolds, it would be very viable replacement for what appears to be the tail end of Tiger's career.

And even if it's not the tail end of his career, he's just about a generation removed from them in terms of age. Point being, for those looking for something to fill the Tiger Void, there it is.

Not only the fact Rory would have a rival, but a rival with flash . Not to mention, a rival from the States. It would almost be a mini-Ryder Cup feel to it. Not to put any more pressure on Rickie, but he can help move the needle to the "Tiger Woods" level if he can start matching Rory major for major. Next year is a huge year for Rickie Fowler to explode on the scene.

[RJH999]

Not only the fact Rory would have a rival, but a rival with flash . Not to mention, a rival from the States. It would almost be a mini-Ryder Cup feel to it. Not to put any more pressure on Rickie, but he can help move the needle to the "Tiger Woods" level if he can start matching Rory major for major. Next year is a huge year for Rickie Fowler to explode on the scene.

.....Ladies and Gentlemen Rory McIlroy's rival......Bernd Wiesberger!

[ScouseJohnny]

Not only the fact Rory would have a rival, but a rival with flash. Not to mention, a rival from the States. It would almost be a mini-Ryder Cup feel to it. Not to put any more pressure on Rickie, but he can help move the needle to the "Tiger Woods" level if he can start matching Rory major for major. Next year is a huge year for Rickie Fowler to explode on the scene.

I agree entirely with this.

A McIlroy/Fowler rivalry would be excellent, for the reasons you suggest.

Best of all, though, it would be a friendly rivalry. In his champion's speech at Hoylake, one could hear the respect McIlroy has for Fowler. Some of golf's greatest moments are founded in such friendly rivalries.

I really hope Rickie picks up his first major next year.

[ChrisP]

.....Ladies and Gentlemen Rory McIlroy's rival......Bernd Wiesberger!

Talk about a man who couldn't handle the pressure of being in the final group? That reminded me of Brian Henninger in the '95 Masters.

[RJH999]

Talk about a man who couldn't handle the pressure of being in the final group? That reminded me of Brian Henninger in the '95 Masters.

I don't know. I mean, it wasn't THAT bad. He shot like +3. Not as bad as everyone in the 2005 US Open or Nick Watney's 81 a couple years ago. Peter Hanson or Ross Fisher come to mind as well.

[FarawayFairways]

Most people I know are ambivalent about the American team and their gutless performances in recent Ryder Cups. Getting beat by Euros is not the big negative that you portray it to be any more..

Isn't that the whole nub of the issue though?. If America can't win it stops watching. Roll that forward. What happens to golf in the US if Americans can't win big tournaments? Game Over insert new credit?

Isn't this why the whole sporting landscape of America is dominated by domestic sports that only America plays, where there is no international interest or competition, and why it fosters such an inward looking world view. I think the Ryder Cup's peak intensity was the late 80's up until 1999 when America tended to resort to borderline tactics. In fact I might as well repeat what was said enough times, at the time, "America cheated". So when they still couldn't win thoughout the last decade, they increasingly withdrew from it (they've returned a lot of tickets as I understand it). The same things happened in the heavyweight division, tennis, and track and field of course. I don't think it's unique to golf

I do happen to think however, that as fast as American interest in the Ryder Cup waned, it can be recaptured again, but it's going to require America to start winning. The public will associate with success I think, and not losers, which is what your Ryder Cup teams have become. It's also going to require players to commit to winning it properly and go into training camps and prepare with a much harder edge than they've currently shown. But for me this is the beguiling prospect. There is a clear void in the American sporting landscape regarding international competition. Ryder Cup is one of the few exceptions. There is an opportunity here for the PGA. Look at how football momentarily captured the country's imagination this summer. And that's a sport in which you have no real tradition.

I think as the world changes though America's influence on golf as 'the' market will decline. As has already been referenced, China will grow in its importance, and if golf continues to develop across Europe it too will develop a bigger participation base. Western Europe has a bigger population than the USA, and ultimately this could start to feed through into more players and an even bigger performance differential. So long as America continues to put the prize money up, she'll continue to host the events that attract the best (a bit like how the English premiership attracts the best footballers) but there'll be no obvious gain to the hosting nation other than funding overseas players

I'm not so sure Skydogs points are unfair though. They might not sound palatable at one level, but I think there's more than just a grain of truth in them. America will always support a home grown talent above an interloper. A vast majority of countries will. I do feel however that what others have countered with is also likely to be true. The Nike machine sells globally, and there are massive markets opening up which dwarf America in their potential, and where brand loyalty has yet to be established. These markets don't have homegrown talent so they'll adopt the leading players of their generation.

The question therefore might be one of how important will it be for the golfing superstars of the future to be mega big in the US?

FWIW, I think it will remain the dominant market for at least 25 years, but after that? who knows

[billchao]

For those who think Rory can't "move the needle":

http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/pga-championship-ratings-36-percent-despite-tiger-woods-missing-cut?sct=hp3

Quote:

Ratings for Rory McIlroy's PGA Championship victory were up 36 percent from last year’s tournament, CBS Sports announced .

According the network, the final round on Sunday averaged a 6.0 household share, compared to 4.4 in 2013 when Jason Dufner won the tournament. A ratings share is the percentage of televisions tuned into a program.

Those are the biggest ratings since 2009, when Y.E. Yang won and Tiger Woods finished second. The last 30 minutes of the tournament produced an impressive 9.2 rating.

[RJH999]

For those who think Rory can't "move the needle":  [URL=http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/pga-championship-ratings-36-percent-despite-tiger-woods-missing-cut?sct=hp3]http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/pga-championship-ratings-36-percent-despite-tiger-woods-missing-cut?sct=hp3[/URL]

What this really tells us is that YE Yang and other Asian golfers move the needle.

[skydog]

For those who think Rory can't "move the needle":

http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/pga-championship-ratings-36-percent-despite-tiger-woods-missing-cut?sct=hp3

Phil, Rickie, the quality of the competition, and the prime time chaotic finish had more to do with this than Rory. Again, if Rory had been battling it out with Day and Stenson, these numbers wouldn't be there. His previous three major weren't associated with big ratings.

And I agree with FarawayFairways points. I think the US' stature in the game could continue to decline (hopefully not at the same pace that American tennis has but it's possible)...when you think about it in those terms, it puts a lot of pressure on the like of Rickie, Spieth, etc. to shoulder the game here. It will be an interesting decade in the sport to see how the Tiger void is filled (or not) here.

[AmazingWhacker]

There's really no such thing as star power. It's all about golf power. Jack and tiger are huge stars because they won so much. If Rory or anybody else wins that much they will be just as big a star. Tell me there is anybody on the planet that could win like tiger did (and hopefully will again) and somehow not be of interest to the public?

[DwightC]

Rory has star power.  My wife doesn't give a flip about golf and she know who he is.

Me:  "The Irish kid won."

Her:  "You mean Rory?"

Me:  "How'd you know his name?"

Her:  "Somebody at school told me."

This is the woman who, when I mentioned last week that it would be interesting to see how Tiger would do over the weekend, says:  "Is Tiger Woods still playing golf?"

Me:  "Er, yeah.  He's not dead."

Of course, she and her friends all belong to the 'Erin should have used more club' party.  As long as Rory keeps winning and treats his Mum right, they'll be fans.  More importantly, they'll smile benignly on their retired husbands getting out of the house and playing golf.

[RJH999]

Rory has star power.  My wife doesn't give a flip about golf and she know who he is. Me:  "The Irish kid won." Her:  "You mean Rory?"   Me:  "How'd you know his name?" Her:  "Somebody at school told me." This is the woman who, when I mentioned last week that it would be interesting to see how Tiger would do over the weekend, says:  "Is Tiger Woods still playing golf?" Me:  "Er, yeah.  He's not dead." Of course, she and her friends all belong to the 'Erin should have used more club' party.  As long as Rory keeps winning and treats his Mum right, they'll be fans.  More importantly, they'll smile benignly on their retired husbands getting out of the house and playing golf.

I think all women belong to the "elin should have used more club" party...

[Aguirre]

Tiger was unique not just because of his extraordinary talent, but because of his ethnicity in a sport dominated by white men.  He's so unique that it's probably impossible to replicate.

But I am sooooo tired of this talk about moving the needle, or worse yet "saving golf."  The PGA Tour has been around for almost 100 years.  It's not going anywhere.  I'm quite comfortable with letting the competitions play out, and if a dominant superstar separates himself, so be it.  I'll still be watching.

Everyone talks about Tiger bringing in the casual golf fan.  That's true, but it doesn't tell the whole story.  Rory and Phil draw in the casual golf fan.   Tiger drew in PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT EVEN GOLF FANS.  That just isn't going to happen often, if ever again.