Golf pundits have lately been trying to brand Rory McIlroy at “The Next Tiger.” Its a curse I wouldn’t wish on anyone, considering the history of players who have been burned with that brand. Just off the top of my head, here are a few:
Ty Tyron He was the next big thing. Check out the article at the link. Now, he’s hardly remembered.
Anthony Kim Yes, he seriously was considered the next Tiger.
Adam Scott He’s experiencing something of a revival now, but …
Aaron BaddeleyWho?
And then several that I remember being touted, but can’t find a link:
Sergio Garcia
Charles Howell
Camilo Villegas
Justin Rose
Sean O’Hair
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@Drew … you’re right. But that’s kind of the point. All of these guys were annointed by the media without any real foundation.
As for Rory. I hope he’s not the next Tiger, but rather, the First Rory.
And Rory has been anointed by the media with very little foundation. He has played exceptionally well and his margin in the US Open is impressive, but it is one major and three professional wins. Isn’t he at around 100 starts? Three wins = 3%. I believe that Tiger was 25% or so for his first 100 starts.
That isn’t to take away from Rory, but to keep it away from the media and that silliness. I hope Rory does break Tiger’s major record – and I would be more pleased to see Rory break Jack’s record than Tiger doing it – simply because Rory is more likeable and at least yet is not an egomaniac.
But if Rory just ends up being the next Phil or Tom Watson, wouldn’t that be great too? At least if he is only THAT dominant, then golf won’t be as boring as it was when you could just skip watching on Sunday if Tiger was playing (prior to 2010).
Now if you want to talk about something where you can say somebody is the next so-and-so – anyone want to talk about Yani Tseng? 4 majors and is only 22? If she isn’t the next Lorena and quit before 30, anyone want to take bets on whether she beats Annika’s major record?
Kind of a weak comparison. None of those guys have won a major. Let alone won one in such a dominating fashion, at just the age of 22. Or have been near the top of the leaderboard in the 3 majors prior to the victory.