FedEx Cup 2012: Why Rory McIlroy Will Finish Atop the Points in 2012

Is there a better golfer in the world right now than Rory McIlroy?

In case you aren't sure, the answer to that inquiry is no, there is not. McIlroy has four top-10 and two top-five finishes since June (including his PGA Championship win), and at the time of this writing (Monday afternoon) was leading the Deutsche Bank Championship in the final round.

McIlroy may have hit a major rough patch in the middle of his 2012 season, but he's red-hot now. I don't see another golfer topping McIlroy in this year's FedEx Cup.

Sure, there are dangers to McIlroy's Cup chase. Tiger Woods is playing his best golf in some time. The consistency of players like Luke Donald or Lee Westwood is always threatening. The FedEx Cup rankings is rife with players capable of getting hot and racking up the points at an event.

Still, McIlroy looks so good at the moment it's hard to imagine him going into the THE TOUR Championship outside of the top five in the rankings. And if he puts himself in a position where he can guarantee he'll win the Cup with a victory, I like his odds more than anyone else in the field to pull off the feat at this point.

However, we've traveled down this path with McIlroy before. We anointed him the chosen one after he dominated the U.S. Open a year ago—and continued his hot streak on the European Tour—then wrung our hands when he missed four of five cuts in May and early June. 

In other words, just when we thought McIlroy was about to ascend to the throne of golf royalty in the wake of Tiger Wood's being thrust from his once dominant perch, he's come back down to earth.

Is he in danger of doing so again?

I don't think so. Call me a front-runner, but I'm sticking with the world No. 1. Last year, it was his girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki, who stayed atop the ranks. This year, I'm putting my money on McIlroy to keep this young, sports power couple at the top.

Is there a better golfer in the world right now than McIlroy?

Maybe. But I doubt it. 2012 will go down as the "Year of Rory." He'll have a FedEx Cup to prove it.

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