Accenture World Match Play Championship 2012: The Story Is Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy may have lost the battle today, but he is winning the war. The war of public adoration that is.

He fought through contentious match-play beginning with a sensational performance this morning against Lee Westwood, but ended the day falling to Hunter Mahan.

Either Westwood or McIlroy would have claimed the coveted world’s No. 1 ranking from Luke Donald with a victory. It shouldn’t really matter to McIlroy, however.

The 22-year-old has already cemented himself as one of the premier forces in today’s game. He ultimately lost the match, but his play was masterful, with sprinkled in moments of brilliance like when he won his first hole by chipping in for eagle from 60 feet on the par-five 11th.

You have to give it up to Mahan, becoming only the first American-born player since Tiger Woods in 2008 to win the World Match-Play Championship. But make no mistake, this day was captivated by his opponent.

In the morning, McIlroy was eruptive as ever, as he had seven birdies in a 10-hole stretch to overcome an early deficit and beat Westwood. In the afternoon, his play did fall flat, but the roars of the crowd were louder than ever.

Mahan played his best possible golf, hitting 35 birdies in 96 holes over six matches.

Luke Donald may still hold the title as No. 1, which he rightfully earned. But, Luke is just keeping the seat warm for Rory.

We hate to be prisoners of the moment, and in our twit-tastic society, we often fall captive to proclaiming premature greatness. But Rory has outplayed hype and mania to become an everlasting staple of  the world’s golf elite. He already has a U.S. Open championship under his belt and five professional tour wins.

Similar to Jeremy Lin, a story expanding due to his on the court talent, McIlroy writes his own verses with stellar performances on the field.

Successful golfers possess poise along with a phenomenal mental makeup. The greatest on the planet strive not for long drives or routine putts, but for making the impossible shot look easy and having the self-reliance to take the risk in the first place.

It’s having the gumption, the confidence bordering on cockiness to believe that you can make any shot from anywhere on the course. Moving forward, there’s no one else that has consistently displayed that intestinal fortitude like McIlroy.

With the struggles of Tiger Woods’ putter and his mental game deficiencies, the door has been not kicked open, but blown completely off by the 22-year-old Northern Irishman.

Rory has the stalwart swing, the tender touch around the green, and the cool-as-the-other-side-of-the-pillow demeanor to be hanging around the top of the world rankings for years to come.

He may not be the next Tiger Woods, but being Rory McIlroy these days is pretty damn awesome.