Monday's Telling News: 2014 PGA Championship At Valhalla

• There are certain questions that are always asked about specific sports over and over again in main stream media. Any time after a substantial international soccer tournament or a thrilling match in club play in Europe, people constantly wonder if soccer is truly growing into a major sport in the states. The World Cup is obviously a catalyst for this conversation because of just how important the competition is to the rest of the globe and even its popularity in America with people supporting the national team in large numbers in public fan gatherings. Even outside of the World Cup, which has gotten people invested in soccer for years, after Sergio Aguero scored the championship winning goal for Manchester City in their 3-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers in 2012, everybody began to ponder if European soccer leagues were becoming much more prevalent in the American view (I can watch Aguero's goal all day long). In golf, after each and every tournament where Tiger Woods is either out hurt or missing the cut while looking like a shell of his old self, the inevitable question that comes along is can golf flourish without Tiger? The NBA survived without Jordan (although for a while, any big player that came along was supposedly the "next Jordan," whether it was Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, or Harold Miner), the NHL went on without Gretzky, but can golf really prosper without the single man who has dominated the game for so long and broke down so many golf barriers (remember, Tiger won his first major back at the 1997 Masters when he was only 21, so Woods has been the biggest walking golf story for nearly 20 years) The PGA Championship at Valhalla showed that golf does have the potential to be just as enthralling even without Tiger, with the right mix of drama and key players fighting it out on a Sunday (if Downtown Abbey can remain intact even after Dan Stevens was killed, so can golf without Woods).
• With remarkable late drama and four players having at least a share of the lead on the back nine, golf may lose some fans that only watched for the intrigue of Tiger, but it can remain very captivating if the final rounds are as climactic as the one at Valhalla this past weekend. The PGA of America could not have been much more fortunate because to go along with the late theatrics of the tournament, they could not have picked a better group of players to be involved in the late stretch of really tense golf. Rory McIlroy, the best player in the game and somebody who is well on his way to challenging for 10 to 15 majors over the next decade, came into the 4th round at the top of the leaderboard and was always the favorite to win the championship after his wins at Royal Liverpool and Firestone in late July and early August. The most beloved golfer on the tour for his class and near misses over the years, Phil Mickelson was able to turn his lackluster season around at the PGA and really get into the mix in the final round at Valhalla after he birded the par-3, 11th hole and had a share of the lead for a long stretch on the back nine. For as much as I admire Rory McIlroy for the force he possesses at the bottom of his swing and the turn he gets in his shoulders to just power through the ball, he is not a guy that is going to get a lot of new people into golf (unless your a single girl). However, Rickie Fowler is going to attract new fans into the game with his colorful clothes and sparkling play, and he was also in contention on Sunday for the 4th consecutive major (he also gives American golf fans some hope because Kevin Streelman at the Travelers Championship at TPC Rivers Highlands and Brian Harman at the John Derre Classic at TPC Derre Run are the only two US players to win on the PGA Tour in the last 10 events since early June). Finally, although Henrik Stenson is not a particularly alluring name (not nearly as much as his compatriot Zlatan Ibrahimovic), he won both the FedEx Cup and the Race to Dubai in 2013, and can spin back his irons like nobody else in the game (see his shot on the 13th hole onto the island green that set up his birdie to have a share of the lead), making him a very dangerous player to be around the top of the scoreboard on a Sunday. Golf without Tiger is not going to be easy, but with late drama and the right names in the mix on Sunday, it is still possible to reach Tiger-like excitement.
• The amazing theater of the PGA Championship was only intensified because of its stark contrast to the dreary previous two majors of the season. Martin Kaymer just obliterated the field at the U.S. Open from Pinehurst No. 2 and not only did the course not look like a typical U.S. Open with thick rough when it was replaced by sandy waste areas next to the fairways, but it was the first time I can ever remember my dad saying he did not even watch a single shot of tournament because of just how little intrigue there was in the event. At the Open Championship from Royal Liverpool, Rory McIlroy went wire-to-wire for the victory and literally nobody else in the field even put up a mild challenge to stop him from doing so (It was Rory's second wire-to-wire victory at a major, putting him in a select group of players to have multiple wire-to-wire wins at major championshps. Arnold Palmer won the 1960 and 1964 Masters in such fashion, Jack Nicklaus won the 1972 Masters, 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, and 1980 U.S. Open at Baltusrol all in wire-to-wire wins, Raymond Floyd did it at the 1969 PGA at NCR, 1976 Masters, and 1982 PGA at Southern Hills, and finally Tiger won the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, 2000 PGA at Valhalla, 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, and 2005 Open at St Andrews in wire-to-wire victories). I guess you could say Sergio Garcia came close to putting up a fight at the Open Championship this year, but everybody knew Sergio would pull a "Sergio" somewhere in his final round, and that came with his horrible bunker shot on 15 that never left the sand and led to a bogey on the par-3, all but ensuring a title for Rory in England. Over the past decade, there have been plenty of head-to-head battles amongst golfers at majors, which is always gripping stuff with each guy trying to pull away, whether it be Retief Goosen and Phil trading blows at the 2004 U.S. Open from Shinnecock Hills, Tiger and Chris DiMarco being so close during the final round at the Masters in 2005, Stewart Cink and Tom Watson going into a playoff at the 2009 Open Championship from Turnberry, or Y.E. Yang and Tiger going at it in the 2009 PGA at Hazeltine. However, it is much more rare to see a major golf tournament, like this year's PGA, where coming down the back nine so many different players have a share of the lead and a chance to take home a major championship with the utmost suspense attached to it. The 2001 Masters with Tiger, David Duval, and Phil all in the hunt was quite tense, Phil overcoming K.J. Choi and Ernie Els in the 2004 Masters for his first major was so exciting, and the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot with Geoff Ogilvy, Jim Furyk, Phil, Colin Montgomerie, and Padraig Harrington passing around the lead was wild. The 2014 PGA Championship gave us all of the late drama that the game had been missing over the past several majors with guys trying to match one another on every hole coming down the final stretch.
• Enough about how Rory McIlroy is the future of golf because he is the here-and-now of the golfing world after his PGA Championship at Valhalla. On a day in which everybody around him was making serious moves on the front nine (Phil was 4-under, Stenson was 5-under, and Rickie was 3-under on the first nine holes), Rory shot a 1-over 36 (he bogeyed 3 and 6 before finally making a birdie on 7) and could not really get anything going or any big birdie putts to go down to gain some momentum. However, the fact that Rory showed so much resolve to keep on fighting, even as his final round lead was shrinking, should really worry the rest of the players on tour. If Rory has the unwavering mental strength that he showed this past weekend to go along with his immense golfing talent, he should be well on his way to double-digit major championships. When Rory won the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, he did so by eight strokes over Jason Day and set records for the fewest shots and lowest score under par at the world's hardest golf tournament in his blowout win. McIlroy destroyed the field once again at the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island and took home the Wanamaker Trophy after winning by eight strokes over David Lynn, the most ever in tournament history. Rory entered the final round of this year's Open Championship leading by six strokes (in the last 60 years only Tony Lema in 1964 had a bigger lead going into the fourth round of the major when he was up on Jack Nicklaus by 7 strokes at St Andrews) and nobody ever really came close enough to scare McIlroy for the title, or put any significant pressure on his game. Any time you have three majors in the bag at the age of 25, the talent is obviously there, but McIlroy's fourth major proved the resolute and obstinate nature that he has built into his mentality, which so few golfers truly possess. The great ones in every sport have this unshakable tenaciousness to always fight through various challenges, no matter the circumstances around them. For the first time at Valhalla, people saw Rory's unyielding personality on the golf course, because even when he wasn't at his absolute best and guys were right on his back, he stayed strong through the adversity and the pressure. In a week where McIlroy only gained 1.1 strokes on his putting (in comparison, Phil gained 1.7 strokes on putting and Henrik Stenson racked up 2.3 shots on his putts), he was still able to be persevere for another major championship.
• As much as winning a tight major golf championship is about staying tough mentally, which Rory demonstrated for the first time that he can do on a Sunday with his calm emotions and staunch confidence, he also hit some incredible shots on the back nine to secure the championship. Unlike most of the other golfers that struggled on the back nine because of the difficult par-4 12th and the 508 yard par-4 16th, Rory destroyed the final nine holes at Valhalla all week long, as he was 2-under on Thursday including a stretch of 4 straight birdies from 12 to 15, 3-under on Friday and Saturday with an eagle on 18 in his second round, and 4-under on Sunday without a bogey to close out the tournament. On the back nine in his final round, Rory was able to hit a three wood onto the green for an eagle on the par-5 10th hole to jump start his round, finally get a big putt to fall on the par-4 13th for his 3rd birdie in 4 days on the hole, and then put a shot from a fairway bunker to within 10 feet of the hole for a dagger birdie on the 17th. Even though he did not putt his absolute best, when a guy can pull off some of the shots that Rory can on a golf course, and hit the big ball that he can from the tee with his driver to set up short irons to the pin, like he showed on the back end of the PGA Championship at Valhalla, it is scary to think about what he is capable of doing in the future.
• Some of Rory's accomplishments and records are just staggering to think about, especially at his young age. With McIlroy's victories at the Open Championship and PGA Championship in 2014, he joins Arnold Palmer in 1960 and 1962, Jack Nicklaus in 1963, 1966, 1972, 1975, and 1980, Lee Trevino in 1971, Gary Player in 1974, Tom Watson in 1977 and 1982, Nick Faldo in 1990, Nick Price in 1994, Mark O'Meara in 1998, Tiger Woods in 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2006, and Padraig Harrington in 2008 as the only players to win at least 2 majors in a single season in the last 55 years and joins Walter Hagan in 1924, Price in 1994, Tiger in 2000 and 2006, Harrington in 2008 as the only players to win the two titles back-to-back in nearly 100 years. Rory has actually won the Open Championship, the Bridgestone Invitational from Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, and the PGA Championship in three consecutive starts, becoming the first golfer since Tiger Woods in 2008 when he won the Buick Invitational, Accenture Match Play, and Arnold Palmer Invitational to do so. Gary Player (9 majors), Harry Vardon (7 majors), Nick Faldo (6 majors), Seve Ballesteros (5 majors), James Braid (5 majors), John Henry Taylor (5 majors), and Peter Thomson (5 majors) are the only golfers born outside of America with more grand slams than McIlroy, and the Northern Irishman is only 25 years old and at the beginning of his career. In fact, only Young Tom Morris (1868-1870 and 1872 Open), Tiger Woods (1997 Masters, 1999 PGA at Medinah, 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach, 2000 Open at St Andrews), and Jack Nicklaus (1962 US Open at Oakmont, 1963 Masters, 1963 PGA at Dallas Athletic, 1964 Masters) won 4 majors at a younger age than McIlroy. Essentially, Mark Zuckerberg is the only person to accomplish more than Rory by the age of 25 to put it all in a nutshell.
• Rickie Fowler has had one of the best seasons ever for a guy to not have a single win all season long on tour, which leaves much more to be desired in the future for the young American. Since Fowler is only 25 years old and does have so much promise in his game, especially with his ball striking and iron play at such a proficient level, I would still characterize his year on the side of impressive and auspicious rather than disappointing and frustrating (it is hard to call a year with 7 top 10's through August a poor season). Despite all of his great tournaments throughout the season and his more than solid performances in the four majors, it is not like Rickie ever blew opportunities for victories or threw away leads when he was in position to run away from the field. He has been on the periphery of almost every tournament he has entered this season, but has never really been able to cement himself at the top of the leaderboard in any event, as was evidenced at the PGA Championship. Fowler's tied for 5th finish at the Masters, tied for 2nd spot at the U.S. Open and Open Championship, and tied for 3rd mark at the PGA Championship puts him with Jack Nicklaus in 1971 and 1973 and Tiger Woods in 2000 and 2005 as the only golfers to finish all four majors in the top five in one season (Nicklaus, however, won the PGA in 1971 and 1973 and Tiger came out victorious in the U.S. Open, Open, and PGA in 2000 and the Masters and Open in 2005). Rickie also joins Ben Crenshaw in 1987, Sergio Garcia in 2002, Ernie Els in 2004, and Vijay Singh in 2005 as the only players in the last 35 years to finish in the top 10 in all of the majors in a calendar year and not win any of them. Fowler's bogey on the par-3 14th hole at Valhalla because of a tee shot that went wayward and into some mud to the right of the hole dropped him behind Phil and Rory on the back nine, and he was never able to really recover from that blow even after an incredible scramble for a par on 16. Fowler, though, just exudes so much confidence on the course, especially in his calm putting stroke, and it is a matter of "when" not "if" he wins a major championship.
• Over the past two decades, golf has really been dominated by two man, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, and coming into the PGA Championship, both of them had been having horrible seasons and there is no way around that fact. The only event Phil finished in the top 10 before the PGA was back in January on the European Tour in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Tournament and Tiger basically missed 4 months of the year with back surgery and then came back to miss the cut at the Quicken Loans National from Congressional, have his worst 72-hole finish in a major in the Open Championship, and then withdrew from the Bridgestone Invitational due to his back pain coming back once again. Tiger looked terrible once again on the golf course at Valhalla, missing just his 4th cut as a professional at a major tournament (he also missed cuts at the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot after he missed significant time because of his father's death, the 2009 Open at Turnberry, and the 2011 PGA at Atlanta Athletic Club). Golfers not named Tiger Woods have now won 26 straight majors dating back to 2008 and if Tiger doesn't win the Masters in April, it will be exactly 7 years since his last major victory. He looked in pain at the PGA with his reoccurring back ailment, and seems to be having all sorts of trouble with his driver, having no consistency with his misses which is a bad sign for a professional. On the other hand, after shooting a 62 in his final round at Firestone to gain some much needed confidence (it was his best 18 hole score since he shot a 60 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open in 2013), Phil was finally able to turn his play around at the PGA and he was right in the thick of things on a Sunday at a major once again. Mickelson took advantage of the three par-5 holes at Valhalla all weekend long, birding the 7th in all four rounds, birding the 10th on Friday, and going 5-under on the 18th including an eagle in his second round. Lefty also went away from the claw grip that caused him so much trouble on the greens at the U.S. Open when he finished tied for 28th and made so many long putts to keep him towards the top of the leaderboard at Valhalla. His clutch putting was highlighted by a 30-foot par save on the arduous 12th hole to keep him tied for the lead at 15-under in the final round. The finish for Mickelson, however, could not have epitomized his career of ups-and-downs in a more symbolic fashion. On the 16th hole, his chip for birdie lipped out of the pin and he was unable to salvage a par with his next putt, and then on the 18th hole, his eagle attempt to pull even with Rory at the top of the leaderboard just barely missed the cup. Despite shooting a final round 5-under, 66, Phil once again came up just short of a major championship - something we have gotten so used to saying over the years with his near misses - finishing in second at a major for the 9th time in his roller-coaster career, and for the 2nd time at the PGA Championship (only Jack Nicklaus with 19 and Arnold Palmer with 10 have more second place finishes than Phil in majors).
• The other thing that the PGA Championship does is that it solidifies the U.S. Ryder Cup automatic selections for the competition this September in Scotland, a match-up that is likely going to be the biggest mismatch since "The Mountain" came up against "Prince Oberyn Martell" because the European team is going to be an overwhelming favorite. Even the most optimistic American golf fans have to realize that this US Ryder Cup squad could be even worse than the teams in 2004 and 2006 that lost by a margin of 18.5 to 9.5 to Europe in the biggest blowouts since all the way back in 1975 at Laurel Valley when it was still the US against Great Britain and Ireland. The nine players that have automatically qualified for the US team and will be playing at Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire are Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, Jimmy Walker, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, and Zach Johnson. Phil was on the outside looking in coming into the PGA Championship, as he was sitting in 10th place on the US points standings, but his second place finish at the major bumped him all the way up to 5th and gave him a spot on the team for the 10th consecutive time. Despite having to withdraw from the PGA because of a back injury, Matt Kuchar was still able to finish amongst the top 9 positions for the US team because he has the most top 10 results on the PGA Tour, but his back problem is another big concern for an already weak US team. Patrick Reed was good enough at the PGA to keep his spot on the team, as he made the cut and shot even par golf for the tournament, but he has played really poorly since winning the Humana Classic and WGC Cadillac Championship at Trump National in Doral earlier in the year. Meanwhile, Zach Johnson nabbed the last automatic spot on the US team mainly because of the poor play of everybody else around him. Jason Dufner, who came into this year's last major in the 8th position for the US team, had to withdraw from the PGA as the defending champion midway through his first round because of a neck problem and was knocked out of an automatic spot. Keegan Bradley, Chris Kirk, and Webb Simpson all missed the cut at Valhalla and only one player shot worse than Brendon Todd who stayed around for the weekend, so Johnson fell into the last automatic US Ryder Cup spot more than anything else. With Bubba's recent struggles in missing out on the cut at the U.S. Open and the Open and having a 65th place finish at the PGA, Rickie, Furyk, Jimmy Walker, and Phil are the only guys playing well right now of the nine automatic US players on the cup teams. The struggles of the US spells big trouble when they go up against a stacked European team that will likely be highlighted by Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Martin Kaymer, and Ian Poulter. The Europeans could have the best squad that their continent has assembled since 1985 when Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle, Bernhard Langer, and Nick Faldo took the cup back from the US for the first time since 1957.

There Isn't A Shortage Of Storylines Going Into The Second Round Of The Masters

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed every second of all four majors last year and there is nothing I love more than sitting down on a Sunday and watching the final round of a golf major to crown a major champion. However, there was something missing last year that kept me from being overly excited looking in retrospect about the 2011 majors.

Maybe it was the fact that at the U.S. Open, a tournament that prides itself in its difficult setup and the inability of players to put up low scores, Rory McIlroy finished at -16 and practically had the tournament wrapped up after the second round when he led by 6 strokes over Y.E. Yang.

Even when the 2011 PGA Championship went into a three hole play-off, it was a battle of two mainly unknown commodities with Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner.

It was also a great story when Darren Clarke won the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St. George's Golf Club nearly five years after his wife died of breast cancer but the Open left me with a sour taste in my mouth.

I, like many others, was hoping for a Phil Mickelson comeback run on the final day after he shot a 30 on the front nine, his lowest nine hole score in a major. However, Phil faltered down the stretch as he bogeyed 11, 13, 15, and 16, which put him out of contention of the title and left many, including myself, disappointed.

Finally, whether you like him or dislike him, Tiger Woods is a story every time he walks on the golf course. If Woods is in contention at a major, everybody is going to be watching and he brings a tremendous amount of buzz to the golf game. The pressure and intensity of a major is only amplified when Tiger Woods is lurking at the top of the leaderboard.

However, last year Tiger made very little noise at any of the majors. Although he finished tied for 4th at the Masters, his third round 74 shot him in the foot and put him too far back of the leaders. Tiger was forced to miss two of the majors, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship, due to knee and achillies injuries. When he returned to the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, Tiger looked like a shell of himself. He shot a 77 in the first round and then followed that up by a 73 in the second to finish at 10-over par and he missed the cut. It was just the 3rd time in 56 major appearances since 1997 that Tiger failed to make the cut at a major and he wasn't around for the last two days of the final major or the year.

However, there is a certain vibe around the Masters that has everybody excited for this years first major. The lure of Augusta National and its historic tradition leaves people craving to see golfers attack Amen Corner and play the course they have become so accustomed to seeing.

After the first round at Augusta National, there is a wide array of interesting stories to keep on an eye on as this year Masters rolls along.

Before Phil Mickelson finally broke through in that memorable 2004 Masters, he was often tabbed as the greatest player to never have won a major. Lefty had a ridiculous 17 top ten appearances from 1993 to 2003 without ever cracking the winners circle including 8 finishes in the top 3 in that time span.

Since Mickelson has gotten rid of the that title, Lee Westwood has assumed it. Westwood's close but no cigar results at majors have looked much like Mickelson's when he was a younger golfer. Westwood has had 12 top 10 appearances in majors since 1997 and he has finished in the top 3 in 6 of the last 14 majors he has played in. Despite being near the top of the leaderboard so often, Wetwood has been unable to break through.

However, Westwood, who finished 2nd in the Masters two years ago in 2010, is at the top of the leaderboard after the first round of golf at Augusta. Lee birdied 5, 6, 7, and 8 to put up a front nine 32 before he finished out the round by shooting a 35 on the back to complete his first round 5-under par 67.

Westwood sits in a perfect position after day 1 to capture his first ever major championship. He said, "I've come close [to winning a major]. I've won all there is to win other than a major championship. That's my primary focus and it's been a long time coming around since the PGA last year... I have been in this position a lot recently, in contention. I've had a lot of top-3's, so I've obviously been there. If I sit down at the end of my career and there's no major championship wins, I'll be disappointed. If there's five or six, I'll be delighted." With an early lead at the Masters, Westwood has an edge to get that first major championship that has been alluding him for such a long time.

Since his 2008 U.S. Open victory at Torrey Pines, Tiger Woods has been stuck at 14 major championships. He remains 4 major victories shy of Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major wins. A record that most people assumed Tiger would break and the question was not would he surpass Nicklaus, but when would he do it and how many would he end up with, is a record that looks like it may stand now. Due to his infidelity scandal and numerous injuries including the 2008 ACL surgery he received on his left knee and the knee and achillies injuries last year, it looks suspect if Tiger can regain his championship level form and win a major.

Don't get me wrong, he is still Tiger Woods, one of the greatest golfers to have ever played the game, but winning four majors to tie Nicklaus and winning five to surpass him is no easy task. Winning 4 or 5 majors is a Hall of Fame career for most other golfers. Byron Nelson and Seve Ballesteros won 5 majors in both of their careers, while Phil Mickelson has won 4 majors in his carrer. Tiger is trying to accomplish what these guys did in their entire career towards the end of his own career, which is a difficult task.

Tiger, who hasn't won a Masters since 2005, looked like he was going to put up a very solid and impressive first round score. However, he bogeyed both 17 and 18 and squandered an opportunity to finish under par. Although those final two holes put a damper on a relatively well played round of golf for Woods, he is by no means out of the picture after a finish round even-par 72.

Woods, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational before the Masters, which was his first win on the PGA Tour since he won the BMW Championship in September of 2009, is still in contention in this tournament. Although he had some horrible swings in the first round, especially off the tee, Tiger didn't shot himself in the foot and needs a solid score in round 2 to put himself right in the thick of things and spice things up at Augusta National. Anytime Tiger is looking to make a run to rise near the top of the leaderboard, it quites a tremendous amount of interest.

We all remember Rory's McIlroy's final round collapse at Augusta National last year. After having a comfortable four stroke lead after 54 holes, he faltered in the final round, as he felt the pressure of leading the Masters with just 18 holes remaining. Rory was 7 over par on the back 9, as he had a three hole stretch from hole 10 to 12 where he triple bogeyed 10 (on that infamous tee shot), bogeyed 11, and double bogeyed 12. McIlroy's final round 80 was the worst round by a third round leader at the Masters since Ken Venturi in 1956. The four stroke lead that McIlroy squandered was the biggest of a third round leader at a major that didn't end up winning the tournament since Jean Van de Velde lead by 5 strokes after three rounds of the 1999 Open Championship.

After destroying the field at last year's U.S. Open at Congressional in Bethesda, Maryland and taking home his first major victory, McIlroy was ready to move past his 2011 Masters meltdown.

A double bogey on his first hole back at Augusta since his debacle on the back nine the previous year, did little to help Rory move totally past his downfall in 2011. However, he regrouped to shot a solid first round 1-under par 71, as he was able to birdie both 17 and 18 to close out a solid opening round of golf.

McIlroy says he has moved on from that unfortunate day, especially from that memorably awful tee shot on the 10th hole that went way left of the fairway. In the first round of this year's tournament, when Rory was approaching the 10th tee  he said, "I wasn't going left that's for sure. I tried to play it differently, playing a 3-wood off the tee and tuning it. It didn't quite turn enough but I made a good solid four and moved on."

We will see if Rory has really forgotten all about that 10th hole if he gets an opportunity to step up to the 10th tee with the lead once again on the final day of the Masters.

Finally, we will see if Phil Mickelson can use some of his magic to climb up the leaderboard on day two of the Masters. Phil, was is a three-time Masters winner and the winner of the green jacket two years ago in 2010 and a fan favorite, will need to shot a low round in round 2 to get back into contention.

Phil, like Rory McIlroy last year, unraveled on the 10th hole. Lefty needed 3 birdies on the back nine to rebound from his triple bogey on the 10th hole just to bring his round back to a 2-over par 74.

With difficult weather conditions expected for the second round, it should be very interesting to see the storylines that unfold heading into the weekend.

Challengers To Rory McIlroy If He Begins To Fall

Rory McIlroy's first two rounds of golf at Congressional were as close to perfection as you could come by in a major. He hit 32 of 36 greens in regulation and played bogey free golf until the 18th hole in his second round when he hit his second shot into the water and settled for a double bogey. Rory followed up his 6-under par, 65 first round with a 5-under par, 66 second round. McIlroy first two rounds at Congressional were record breaking. McIlroy is the youngest leader of the U.S. Open after two rounds since Walter Hagen led the U.S. Open in 1914 at the age of 21. His total score of 131 is the lowest two-day score in U.S. Open history breaking Rick Barnes's record of 132 in 2009 at Bethpage. Rory's six stroke lead over Y.E. Yang after 36 holes ties a U.S. Open record for the largest lead after two rounds with Tiger Woods when he was leading the field at Pebble Beach by 6 strokes in 2000. However, McIlroy is just 22 years and has only won 2 professional tournaments in his short career. It will take two low rounds from another golfer and McIlroy to come back to the pack in order for other golfers to get into contention for the championship. Crazier things have happened before though. Here is a list of challengers that could cause McIlroy trouble if he begins to get into trouble.

Y.E. Yang: Normally when you are 5-under par at a U.S. Open through two rounds, you are sitting in a very, very good position. This year is not a normal year. With Rory McIlroy's unbelievable first two rounds, Y.E. Yang finds himself six strokes behind the leader in second place. This is not unknown territory for Yang though. In 2009 at the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club, Yang was 1-under through two rounds and six strokes behind the leader, Tiger Woods, who was at 7-under. Yang got to within two strokes after the third round and then won the tournament over Woods by three strokes the next day. There are similarities between Hazeltine and Congressional as well. Hazeltine at 7,674 yards was the longest course that a major was ever played at. The 7,574 yards of Congressional make it the third longest course in major history. Yang has come from way behind before to win a major, so he has that experience to provide him confidence that it can be done. The guy has also played some pretty good golf himself. He has been able to minimize his mistakes and scramble to save pars on some big holes. Yang has shown that he has the focus to forgot about Rory and worry about his own game. When asked about playing with McIlroy in the third round, Yang said, "I'm not going to chase anyone. I'm just going to play my game... Anything can happen in golf.  know it's a different level of golf, but anything can happen." If there is one hole that Yang needs to try and salvage a par on, it is the lengthy 11th hole. The 494-yard monster of a par 4 has caused Yang trouble for two days and he has bogeyed the hole twice in his first two rounds. Out of the 11 par 4's, the 11th hole has the highest average score at a 4.45 and there has been a course low 17 birdies on the difficult hole.

Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, and Sergio Garcia: These three highly regarded golfers are all sitting in third place at 2-under par and 9 shots behind McIlroy. Although it will be very difficult for these guys to catch McIlroy, if one of them can shoot a crazy number like a 66 or a 67 on Saturday, that would put them in contention to catch McIlroy on Sunday. Kuchar's first round of 72 was all over the place but he showed in the second round that he can play well at this golf course with a 3-under par 68. The sixth ranked player in the world finished tied for 6th in last year's open and began to catch fire in the second round. He will have to continue to play well on the par 5's as he has done in the first two rounds. On the 6 par 5's of the golf course, Kuchar had 5 birdies and a par. Zach Johnson and Sergio Garcia have had two pretty solid rounds. Zach shot a 71 on Thursday, while Sergio shot a 69 and then the two flip-flopped scores on Friday with Zach shooting a 69 and Sergio shooting a 71. Of the three golfers, Zach Johnson is the likeliest to not play a good third or fourth round. He has never played well at the U.S. open with his best finishing coming in 2007 when he finished tied for 45th. Zach's 69 on Friday was his first round under par in his career at the U.S. Open. His average yards per drive of 274.1, ranks 177 out of 187 PGA tour golfers and that doesn't help on the extremely long golf course of Congressional. Sergio has played well at the U.S. Open before and could mount a comeback. He finished in the top ten three years straight from 2001 to 2004 and from 2005 to 2007. Sergio left open the possibility of getting into the hunt when he said, "Overall I think it was a nice round to start with. There's still a long way to go. We haven't done anything yet."

Brandt Snedeker and Robert Garrigus: These two golfers are both ranked outside of the top 45 but are dangerous players if they begin to hit their stride. Snedeker and Garrigus had two solid early rounds, as both of them shot 1-under in both of their first two rounds. Like Kuchar, Johnson, and Garcia, they sit at 2-under par and 9 shots behind Rory. Snedeker knows that he will need some help from McIlroy in order to be in contention for the title. He said, "If he keeps playing the way he’s playing, we’re all playing for second place. That many shot lead going into the weekend, if he keeps playing the way he’s playing, it’s going to be impossible to catch him. You’re trying to shoot the lowest number you can. I personally won’t look at the leaderboard all weekend because there’s no point.” Snedeker has struggled on the par 3, 13th hole. He bogeyed the hole on Thursday and had a double bogey on the hole on Friday. Garrigus has voiced the same opinion as Snedeker. He said, “You can’t be aggressive out here, only in super green-light situations, because there are only a couple of flags you can even shoot at. Even with the greens soft, it’s just stupid to do that.” Garrigus won't be overly aggressive and fire at every pin to try and catch McIlroy. He will "do the same thing" and hope that McIlroy falls back into the pack. Robert Garrigus can really hit the ball off the tee. His average driving distance of 308.5 is the third longest on the tour, which is suited very well for the extremely long golf course of Congressional.

With Rory McIlroy Off To Another Strong Start At A Major, He Will Try To Avoid Another Collapse

In the first round of the British Open at St. Andrews last year, Rory McIlroy shot a 9-under par, 63. His performance was the lowest ever first round score in Open history and tied the St. Andrews course record for the lowest score. He followed his first round performance with a second round 80, the lowest score in the second round of any player to make the cut that year. Although there were bad weather conditions with a lot of wind, McIlroy's second round display was very disappointing especially after he jumped out to such a great start first round. McIlroy said about his second round, "It was just very, very difficult out there. I just let it get away from me a little bit. I could have let the round get away from me, if I'm quite honest." McIlroy finished 8 shots behind the winner Louis Oosthuizen.

At this year's Masters, Rory McIlroy once again jumped out to a great start at a major, as he was tied for the lead at the Masters after the first day with a 7-under par, 65. The 22 year old young star was looking to avoid another meltdown after the first round of a major. McIlroy said after his first round that he didn't expect another collapse at the Masters. He said looking back at his British Open, "At the time, it was very disappointing. But looking back, it was probably very valuable in my progression as a golfer... I have that experience to draw on especially being in a similar position to last year at St. Andrews... I'll be thinking about how I can do things better tomorrow than I did that day in St. Andrews... I feel like I'm better prepared to tee off in the second round of a major with the lead. It's possible that I can go out and shoot another 65, but I know that it's also very likely that I'm not going to do that. So if I do find myself in a bit of trouble, I'm going to have to stick in there, grind it out, and that's something that I feel as if I learned to do at St. Andrews." McIlroy shot a 69 in the second round and a 70 in the third round and had a four shot lead going into the final round of the Masters but he imploded in the fourth round and shot an 8-over par, 80. The four stroke lead that McIlroy squandered was the biggest of a third round leader at a major since Jean Van de Velde lead by 5 strokes at the 1999 Open Championship and lost to in a three-way playoff. His final round was the worst round in history by a golfer leading after the third round of the Masters. Many people compared McIlroy's meltdown to Greg Norman when he entered the Masters with a six stroke lead in 1996 but lost by five strokes to Nick Faldo. For the second time at a major, McIlroy collapsed.

McIlroy said after his final round collapse at the Masters, “You know, I’ll have plenty more chances. I know that." After his first round at Congressional County Club in Bethesda, Maryland, McIlroy has another great chance to walk away with his first win at a major. For the third major out of the last four, McIlroy is leading the pack after the first 18 holes. He birdied 6 holes, 3 on the front nine and 3 on the back nine, and didn't have one bogey on the day. He shot a 6-under par, 65 in the first round of the U.S. Open and leads Charl Schwartzel and Y.E. Yang by three strokes.

McIlroy's challenge for the next three rounds of the tournament will be to not have a repeat of his second round at the British Open or his final round at the Masters. McIlroy seems like he has put his Masters collapse behind him, as he said about his bounce back from that tournament, "I don't know if it says that I've just got a very short memory or, I don't know. I took the experience from Augusta, and I learned a lot from it. But I feel like these good starts in the majors are very much down to my preparation and how I prepare for them. But yeah, I mean, you can't, you're going into the U.S. Open. You can't be thinking about what's happened before, you've got to just be thinking about this week and how best you can prepare and how you can get yourself around the golf course. I think you definitely have to analyze the parts that you want to do better. But I stopped, I really stopped thinking about it a week after. You really try and pick it apart and pick things out that you could have done better, but after you do that and you're happy with everything that you've sort of taken from it, then you've just got to move on. I just took, mostly just from the Sunday just being so tentative and trying to keep ahead of the field instead of playing a free-flowing game like I usually do. That's one of the big differences." 

McIlroy said, "I felt like I handled the second round at Augusta this year a lot better than I handled the second round at St. Andrews last year." McIlroy is hoping that he will handle the fourth round at Congressional a lot better than his fourth round at Augusta. McIlroy definitely has the tools and the ability to win a major but will he be able to move past his prior collapses and hand in four solid rounds at a major?

Rory McIlroy Shows Class Despite His Meltdown

There are only a few words to describe Rory's McIlroy's final round at Augusta National. It was a collapse. It was a meltdown. He was 7 over par on the back 9 including a triple bogey on 10, a bogey on 11, and a double bogey on 12. McIlroy's final round 80 was the worst of a third round leader at the Masters since Ken Venturi in 1956. The four stroke lead that McIlroy squandered was the biggest of a third round leader at a major since Jean Van de Velde lead by 5 strokes at the 1999 Open Championship. Many people have compared McIlroy's meltdown to Greg Norman when he entered the Masters with a six stroke lead in 1996 but lost by five strokes to Nick Faldo. Since McIlroy turned professional in 2007, he only had one round where he didn't break 80 before his 80 at the Masters on Sunday. Everything that could have gone wrong for the Rory, did go wrong. He went from a comfortable four stroke lead after 54 holes at 12 under to a tied for 15th finish at 4 under. He went from a check of 1,440,000 to a check of 128,000. Although McIlroy's collapse may be remembered more than even Charl Schwartzel's victory, the 21 year old handled himself with outstanding class and maturity amidst the circumstances.

McIlroy didn't dodge any of his post match interview requests. He pulled himself together after his miserable round and handled the loss extremely graciously. McIlroy said after his round, “I thought I hung in pretty well in the front nine, I was leading the tournament going into the back nine. Just hit a poor tee shot on 10 and sort of unraveled from there. Just sort of lost it 10, 11, 12, and couldn’t really get it back. It’s one of those things, I’m very disappointed at the minute and I’m sure I will be for the next few days, but I’ll get over it. I have to take the positives and the positives are I led this golf tournament for 63 holes. I’ll have plenty more chances, I know that. It’s very disappointing what happened today and hopefully it will build a little bit of character in me as well... It was a character-building day. Put it that way." McIlroy definitely showed character and was very candid in defeat. On his twitter page he said, "Found it tough going today, but you have to lose before you can win. This day will make me stronger in the end.... Thank you to everyone for all your kind words and messages of support. I'm a little overwhelmed! Very much appreciated!... Oh and congratulations charl schwartzel!! Great player and even better guy! Very happy for him and his family."

McIlroy received support from his fans and also other players who were impressed by the 21 year old's attitude. Luke Donald said, “It’s tough – my heart goes out to Rory. He’ll bounce back, I’m sure. He’s just got to take the learning experience from this.” Phil Mickelson said, "Rory is one of the nicest guys you can imagine. He's one of the classiest guys out on tour... Rory is as classy a guy as there is. I've been paired with him a bunch, and I really enjoy playing with him." Even Cleveland Brown's quarterback Colt McCoy wrote on his twitter, "Felt terrible for Rory."

However, McIlroy is definitely not the first to blow a lead at a major by having a horrible final round. At the 2010 U.S. Open, Dustin Johnson was -6 and had a three stroke lead at the top of the leaderboard after three rounds. He finished tied for 8th place after shooting an 82 on the final day. At the 2010 PGA Championship, Nick Watney had a three stroke lead going into the final round at 13 under par and ended up finishing tied for 18th place after a fourth round 81. McIlroy, who has finished in third place in three of the last six majors was confident that he has a lot more time to win a major saying, “You know, I’ll have plenty more chances. I know that."

The Masters Third Round Storylines

1. Will Phil Mickelson make a surge: Phil Mickelson came in to the Masters labeled as the favorite by many after winning last years tournament and the tournament before the Masters in Houston. Mickelson at -2 comes into the third round at the Masters 8 shots behind the leader and is tied for 20th place. Phil looked to be in pretty good position after the first round sitting at -2 with a round of 70 but he only shot a 72 in the second round. Mickelson blamed his struggles in the second round on his short game and putting, saying "I haven't made any putts. I've caught a lot of lips. My speed has been just a fraction off. Just too firm or in a lot of cases just too soft on these greens...Today I left a lot of shots out there that were not hard up-and-downs. You know, they were very doable. I missed a few four or five-footers there, but I expect to get those up-and-down. I didn't, I left a lot out there today. I can't afford this weekend to leave those shots out there." Mickelson only hit four fairways on Thursday but he putted well enough to shot a 70. On Friday Phil had a much better day from the tee hitting nine fairways. He also hit 13 greens in regulation, but he needed 33 putts. Mickelson will have to putt better in order to make a climb on the leaderboard and come within striking distance of the leaders for a chance on Sunday.

2. Will Lee Westwood finally break through at a major: Lee Westwood has finished in the top three of every major including last season when he finished in second at the Masters and the British Open. Westwood is once again in contention for a major, as he is sitting in seventh place and is only 5 shots behind the leader Rory McIlroy. Westwood knows better than anybody that five shots can slip away very quickly, saying, "I had a five shot lead going down 11 on Saturday last year and I was one behind about three quarters of an hour later, so I know better than anybody how quickly leads can evaporate." He is sitting in seventh place and is only 5 shots behind the leader Rory McIlroy. After shooting an even par in the first round, Westwood flew under the radar in the second round shooting a 5 under 67. Westwood said, "I feel like I've played my way right back into it and I was pleased that I didn't let my frustrations over the putting infiltrate my long game." Westwood will have to continue to play very well on the par fives like he did during the second round. Lee was five under on the par 5's including 3 birdies on 2, 5, and 8 and 1 eagle on 15. Westwood will try to shake a tag that Phil Mickelson once held for a while: The best player to not win a major.

3. Will Tiger Woods climb to the top of the leaderboard: Tiger Woods shot a second round 6 under 66 to bring him within three shots of the leader at -7. Woods began the day +1 through three holes. He managed to finish the front 9 with a one under par 35 and his birdies at the 8th, 9th, and 10th holes gave him momentum going into the back nine. Tiger birdied 5 holes including three straight from 13 to 15 to finish with a second round of 66. He said, "I played myself back in the tournament, I'm three back, and we have a long way to go." It has been a long time for Woods that he has played this well. Tiger's 66 was his best score at the Masters since 2005, and since that date he has only shot in the 60's four times. The question for Woods will be if he can maintain this level of play. At Dubai in Febuary, Woods shot a second round 66 but then shot a 72 and 75 over the weekend. At Bay Hill two weeks ago, Woods followed a 68 with a 72 and 74 over the weekend. When Woods was asked if he’s finally where he wants, Tiger replied, “There’s a long way to go.”

4. How will Jason Day follow up his second round: Jason Day is ranked outside of the top 40 and has 1 PGA tour win but his second round at the Masters was record breaking. Day shot an unbelievable 8 under par 64 including 8 birdies and no bogeys in the second round to put himself two strokes behind Masters leader Rory McIlroy in second place. On the 18th hole, Day hit a pitching wedge within 1 foot of the hole to finish the best round of his life. Jason hit 14 greens in regulation and tied 5 other players for the least putts in the round with 25. All 8 of Day’s birdies came within 15 feet including tap-ins on the 9th and 16th holes. Day said about his eight birdies, “Yeah, I have to tell you which holes I birdied the second hole, I hit my drive in the bunker there. I knew I had to lay up to like about 110. So I hit 7 iron out and hit a pretty good wedge shot in there and left it just above the hole to about five, six feet and I holed that putt. Then 7, I hit a really good drive down there and had about 115 yards wind was down off the right and I wanted to play just left of the pin and hit a good shot there. It was just a little bit short but I role in about a 15 foot putt there. 9, I blocked my drive right and was in the pine needles, if you've ever been on pine needles, it's like skating on ice, very, very slippery stuff. Rolled up to two feet which was nice. Then going onto 11, I tried to stay away from that pin because of what happened yesterday. I hit a good drive down the middle. Had 7 iron from about 178 and I just played it right of the hole and rolled it to about 15 foot and holed that putt. 13, 4 wood down the middle. I had 215 yards to that front pin. I just needed to get it in the middle of the green. I just wanted to get it so I could have a putt at it. Hit a hybrid up there and just cleared the water and two putted for birdie. 14, obviously pulled my drive and got lucky, went through the trees and hit a wedge shot to about 15 feet and holed that putt. 16, I shoved my 9 iron right and got lucky. I was just trying to play it ten foot left and I shoved it a little bit. That putt is probably one of the biggest putts I've ever had in my life. I just tapped it and it rolled and went dead center which was good. 18, I just knew I had to hit a good drive and smashed a drive down the middle and had 145 yards to the pin, a little downwind, hit wedge just past it and got lucky and rolled it down the hill and rolled it to about a foot.” Day matched the lowest second round score in Masters history and he shot the lowest second round of any first time participant in Masters history.  Jason said after his great round, “Obviously I had a great round today. I got a little bit of a slow start yesterday, but I came home strong today and I'm just looking forward to the next two days obviously. It's just really good experience.”


5. Will Rory McIlroy surrender his lead: After a first round 7 under 65, Rory McIlroy followed up his great first round with a solid 3 under 69 in the second round. McIlroy hit 10 out of 14 fairways and 15 out of 18 greens in his second round. McIlroy hasn't three putted a hole the entire tournament and only has one bogey through 36 holes. Rory is second in the field with a 302 driving distance at the Masters. Rory said, "I'm picking my spots. I know where to miss it. I'm playing smart. I'm trying to leave myself in the best possible position. Even if I don't like firing at a pin, I'll fire 30 feet away, take my two putts and play for par. That's basically what I've done all week because I've only made one bogey in 36 holes and that's what you need to do in major championships." He is leading the pack at the Masters through two rounds at 10 under par. McIlroy doesn't seem concerned about Tiger Woods or any other player sneaking up on him, saying, "If you start thinking about anyone else here, if you let your mind wander at all, it can cost you a couple of shots. I'll be focusing on my targets and focusing on where I want my ball to go on the greens, and that's all I can do. I don't really care what anyone else does. I don't need to know... It will be a great tournamnet if he's [Tiger Woods] up there. But I'm two shots ahead and I'm in a better position." McIlroy hasn't shown too many jitters thus far and he only had one bogey in his second round. His 10 under 134 is the lowest 36 hole score at the Masters since 2005. It will be McIlroy's first time in the final group during the weekend of the major and the question will be if the pressure will get to the super talented young player.

Rory McIlroy off to Another Strong Start at a Major

In the first round of the British Open at St. Andrews last year, Rory McIlroy shot a 9-under par, 63. His performance was the lowest ever first round score in Open history and tied the St. Andrews course record for the lowest score. He followed his first round performance with a second round 80, the lowest score in the second round of any player to make the cut that year. Although there were bad weather conditions with a lot of wind, McIlroy's second round display was very disappointing after jumping out to such a great first round. McIlroy said about his second round, "It was just very, very difficult out there. I just let it get away from me a little bit. I could have let the round get away from me, if I'm quite honest."

In a day with an average score of one over par, McIlroy has once again jumped out to a great start at a major, being tied for the lead at the Masters after the first day with a 7-under par, 65. The 22 year old young star will try to avoid another meltdown after the first round. McIlroy said after his first round that he doesn't expect another collapse in the second round. "At the time, it was very disappointing. But looking back, it was probably very valuable in my progression as a golfer... I have that experience to draw on especially being in a similar position to last year at St. Andrews... I'll be thinking about how I can do things better tomorrow than I did that day in St. Andrews... I feel like I'm better prepared to tee off in the second round of a major with the lead. It's possible that I can go out and shoot another 65, but I know that it's also very likely that I'm not going to do that. So if I do find myself in a bit of trouble, I'm going to have to stick in there, grind it out, and that's something that I feel as if I learned to do at St. Andrews."

McIlroy had a great first round including no bogeys and 7 birdies. He had three straight birdies on the par 5 2nd, the par 4 3rd, and the par 3 4th. McIlroy added a birdie on 9 and 11 before having two straight birdies on the par 4 14th and par 5 15th. Rory hit 14 greens in regulation and required just 26 putts in his great first round. However, McIlroy realizes that he has a lot of golf still to play especially after his 2010 British Open collapse. McIlroy wrote on his twitter account, "Such a great start to the tournament but still a very long way to go!"

McIlroy is tied for the lead after day one with Alvaro Quiros, who birded 17 and 18 to finish with a 65 as well. McIlroy admitted, "I'm still relatively inexperienced but I feel as if I'm a pretty quick learner. I'm getting there. There's no substitute for experience, especially in major championships, and I still feel as if I have a lot of learning to do."

McIlroy, along with Rickie Flower and Jason Day, have a 12:42 PM second round tee time. Rory is very confident that he can win a major even though he is so young saying, “I always feel that I have the game to win, it's just the extra two percent here and extra two percent there that makes the difference.”