British Open 2011: What Rory McIlroy's Performance Means for the Future of Golf

Maybe the best way to sum everything up from this week’s British Open concerning Rory McIlroy is to say that he's still a work in progress.

On a weekend when everyone in the golf world wanted to see youth served with the U.S. Open winner showing that he could master Royal St. George’s, three forty-something golfers proved they still had game and that golf is still anybody’s game as they handled the links course in Sandwich, England.

McIlroy was the prohibitive favorite this weekend. He has been the talk of the golf world since his record victory at Congressional a month ago. But while McIlroy was taking it all in, playing the gracious winner and preparing himself for the unpredictable elements of arguably the toughest major of the four on the PGA Tour, others who had been honing their game had something to say about the final outcome.

The way McIlroy played coming out of the gate had something to do with it as well. He finished in a tie for 25^th overall, a far cry from what was expected of the Northern Ireland native.

The fact that McIlroy finished where he did does not truly have an impact on his game, and the future of professional golf is not affected by his play. When he won in “Tiger-like fashion” at Congressional, we were ready anoint him as the next coming of Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, or whatever superstar you wish. He isn’t any of them, and to compare him to them at this stage of his career and his stage of player development is unfair.

He is not the world’s best golfer, according to the world golf rankings, and while winning the Open after losing the Masters the way he did was as dramatic as it could have played out, it is not fair to assume a middle-of-the-pack finish will have an adverse effect on him.

I have been critical of the Americans who have played golf this year and the rise of the foreign invasion in golf. It is evident in the tournaments this year and the fact that no American, including second-place finisher Phil Mickelson, has won a major tournament since the 41-year old Mickelson won The Masters last year.

Yes, Americans have some catching up to do, and McIlroy, along with Graeme McDowell, Charl Schwartzel, Martin Kaymer and Luke Donald is running away with golf’s greatest prizes.

Add Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland to the list, and you have to wonder if American golf will ever get back to the prominence it once enjoyed when Woods, Mickelson, Furyk and others were charging through tournaments with ease.

McIlroy will take his finish and learn from it. Maybe it humbled him a bit because of the “Rock Star” status he has been enjoying. But, remember that while he didn't accomplish what he set out to do or what we as fans and sports writers wanted, he still is only 22 years old and with that comes maturity and a learning curve.

We have all heard him speak eloquently of how golf has made him humble and a better person and the sacrifices his family made for him to reach the greatness he has already achieved. Hitting a bump in his early career like losing the Masters and now this should only make him stronger, and it shouldn't impact him as deeply as some may think. He may not have played up to his potential, but that shouldn't have any effect on his game in the future.

When it's all said and done, there will be hundreds of tournaments for McIlroy to capture, and many more majors to compete in, and more importantly, win.