Rory McIlroy vs. Luke Donald: Who Will Win This Tug-of-War ?

Throughout the 2012 season, especially in the last few months, Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald have been trading punches in an effort to attain the world No. 1 ranking.

So far, the two have been dropping in and out of the top spot with no clear cut image of who will be the more dominant world No. 1.

Currently, McIlroy is the No. 1 player in the world, while Donald is hot on his heels in second.

Donald was dethroned by McIlroy at the Honda Classic earlier this season, where the 22-year-old captured his first victory of 2012.

However, Donald came back the next week at the Transitions Championship and won the venue in a playoff and regained his spot as the top golfer in the world.

Just a few weeks ago, Donald's poor finish at the RBC Heritage Championship caused him to lose his spot yet again. McIlroy has clung on to the No. 1 spot since then.

Donald is of course in action again this week at the Zurich Classic. While he's off to a slow start, it's entirely possible that he may pull off a win and regain his top spot once again.

The question is, with all the recent ranking changes between the top two players in the world, who will eventually emerge as the dominant world No. 1?

I think that I have to give the edge to McIlroy, because he is younger and much more consistent than Donald.

I'm not saying that Donald isn't consistent. Trust me—if you've seen his stats—he's one of the best at getting in a groove. That being said, there are times when he falls into a slight slump, and isn't in contention that often.

Just a few weeks ago, Donald finished T.32 and T.37 at the Masters and RBC Heritage. If Donald was playing vintage golf, those are not the numbers you would expect.

McIlroy, on the other hand, is much more consistent. Despite his poor showing at The Masters, the young superstar has placed in the top three in every other event he has played in so far this season.

Donald doesn't have those kind of numbers, and that is probably why McIlroy has the better chance of being a long-term world No. 1.

Of course, there is also the fact that McIlroy already has a major championship under his belt. Meanwhile, Donald is still in search of his first. As far as confidence is concerned, that would also give McIlroy the edge.

Then again, we'll have to wait it out and see who will perform the best during the remainder of the season, but it wouldn't surprise me if McIlroy came out on top.