Players Championship 2012: We Overrated Rory McIlroy After US Open 2011 Win

After Rory McIlroy became a household name in golf following his big win at the 2011 US Open, we have expected too much of this young player, and he hasn't been able to find much success in major tournaments since his triumph at Congressional.

We overrated McIlroy and expected him to achieve more success than was realistically possible.

Ever since Tiger Woods' struggles began a few years ago, golf fans have desperately wanted another superstar to take over the game and bring excitement to the sport.

When McIlroy won his US Open crown with a record low score, people expected him to do too much too quickly.

It's difficult for a young player to live up to massive expectations, especially in a sport as difficult to excel at as golf.

McIlroy's poor performance at the Players Championship this week was perhaps the most disappointing storyline of the golf season thus far.

He didn't even make the cut.

No one expected him to struggle this much. Not at the Masters and not at the Players Championship, which are two of the more prestigious tournaments of the PGA Tour season.

After his great performance after the first two rounds of the Masters, everyone was picking McIlroy to win the green jacket for the first time. Instead, he collapsed for the second straight year at Augusta.

As fans and media members, we are expecting too much of McIlroy right now. We want a dominant and marketable golf superstar to take over for Woods, but McIlroy isn't ready for that yet.

The expectations are too high for McIlroy and I think it's affecting his game. People need to understand that he's young and still learning how to play in the game's biggest tournaments at a high level.

McIlroy's not ready to be the face of golf yet, and it's unfair to expect so much of him so quickly.