McElroy - A Singluar Talent

[DGS49]

I think it may be appropriate now to recognize that Rory McElroy must be acknowledged as the Golfer of this Era.

After a setback due to a money-driven change of equipment a couple years ago, Rory is now back in top form and there is simply no one better in the world. More importantly, he is demonstrating that he is able to play at top form in the pressure of the final round, which separates him from all but a very few golfers in history.

One could argue that he is the Best Ever. With today's Young Guns having taken up golf as soon as they dropped out of their mothers' uteri, the top 25 or so golfers in the world today are better than the top group of golfer has ever been. All of his predecessors were mainly competing against 3-5 superior golfers of their era, but there are a couple dozen at that level today, any one of whom is capable of firing a 62 on any given day.

Rory's first five holes yesterday (4 birdies) were a figurative kick in the balls to Sergio Garcia, whose 4-round performance would have been sufficient to beat anyone else in the world.

The King (Tiger) is dead; long live the King.

 

[TruthSeeker56]

Best ever?

Better than Tiger? Better than Nicklaus? Better than Palmer? Better than Hogan?

Whatever it is you're smoking, THROW IT OUT THE WINDOW!

 

[DGS49]

I made my case. The overall level of play today is better than ever. The "greats" from previous eras were mainly competing against a small handful of guys who were at the top level. Today that "small handful" is about 20 golfers.

Tiger is probably the best ever, and the stats would back that up, but the days of anyone winning four or five tournaments in a row are over. There are simply too many top-notch guys out there right now. If Rory can win, say, 1 or 2 majors a year for 5 years in a row, he will have a good argument for being the best ever.

Another factor that is not talked about much is EQUIPMENT. Are the "perfect" balls and scientifically designed and built clubs giving today's players a big advantage, or is that all marketing bullshit and hype? The few guys who were hitting it 300 yards in 1960 - what if they had been able to use ProV1's and one of today's high-tech drivers? Who knows? What about the putters? Are they having an effect on scores? The players sure believe they do. Specialized wedges? The potential to control distance and spin now is unprecedented.

What if you could give Bobby Jones a new set of clubs and a couple weeks to get used to them? Who knows?