Rory McIroy's time for Glory?

What. The. Hell.



This is the United States Open, right? Congressional Country Club had been

renovated to make it play longer & hard, correct? The cut line is +4 and

birdies are harder to come by than a LeBron James field goal in the fourth

quarter, yeah? Then who hasn't told Rory McIlroy about this?



Frankly, I don't care. I'm just glad to see it.



With Tiger Woods neatly folding his Superman cape, golf desperately needs

someone to fill the void. Guys like Luke Donald, Bubba Watson, Anthony Kim

and Dustin Johnson are more like sidekicks. Phil Mickelson is too old and

will probably never win a major again played outside of Augusta, Georgia.

The man that needs to step up is Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy. And I

think he is ready.



Rory shot a 131 after two rounds at Congressional. That's eleven under par

in the US Open! That's unheard of! Tiger Woods thinks that amazing. Rory,

22 years old, did not have a bogey till the 18th hole of his last round.

Even then it was more of a lapse of judgment than talent. Rory is inches

from the brass ring, and he's been there before. That's the problem.



Unless you live under a rock, on Mars, with your Skullcandy plugged in

your ears and Ipod on full blast, you know of Rory's failure at the

Masters this year. I cannot explain what happened to him on that tragic

back nine. He had that thing won. Did he think that too and got careless?

Overconfident? Did he flake under press? You decide. I, like Rory, am

trying to forget about the past and taking this one hole at a time. That's

what he needs to do in Bethesda this weekend. If he's thinking about those

cabins on the 10th (which is probably always going to haunt him) than he's

doomed. He needs to worry about the water hazards on ten, eleven, and

eighteen. His mind has to be on hitting fairways here and making putts

here. Not on the ones he missed there.



I want Rory McIlroy to win this. I want Rory to have success this young

and this soon. Golf wants Rory to win the US Open. I am cheering for Rory

McIlroy like I am for the Pirates having a winning season and the Avengers

movie not sucking. This kid for Holywood, Northern Ireland can be golf's

leading man for a decade and a half, but he needs to start winning.

Winning Majors. The "S" can be on his chest by Sunday.



Written by, Andrew Brown