Rory McIlroy: Rounding Up Expert Opinions on Rory's US Open Chances

Last year's US Open was the official coming out party for Rory McIlroy.

He did not fall apart following the disaster at the Masters two months prior. He played one of the great rounds in the history of the US Open, winning by eight strokes. 

While that was one of the best moments of 2011, this year has been a much different story for McIlroy. He has missed three of the last four cuts in events he has entered, though he did bounce back with a seventh-place finish at St. Jude last week. 

Oddsmakers like McIlroy a lot this week, as he has been given the fourth-best odds (14-1) to win the 2012 US Open, according to Bovada. 

McIlroy's inconsistent play in recent weeks may scare some people off, but we saw what he is capable of in this event last year, so it would be foolish to dismiss him. Granted, that Open was played at Congressional Country Club in Maryland, whereas this one will be played at Olympic Club in California. 

Here is how the experts see McIlroy handling the different elements that the Olympic Club will present this week. 

ESPN.com

Despite not giving McIlroy a full-on endorsement, Michael Collins of ESPN.com did say that, if given the choice, he would be most comfortable taking McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson this weekend instead of the field. 

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"We see how well Rory played in Memphis at the St. Jude Classic...as good as I think the field can do, and so far in the U.S. Open there's always been that one no-name that kind of makes a run, I still think those three guys--yeah, I'm not taking anyone other than them."

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It is a cop-out to take the three best-known players in the world instead of actually making a pick, but it is hard to argue with Collins' logic in doing so. 

CBS Sports

Shane Bacon of CBS Sports did not officially make a prediction for McIlroy, though he did go over the similarities between the 23-year-old Irishman and Tiger Woods. Bacon also talked about what a win would mean for McIlroy's future. 

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Rory's win here would simply be an epic career confidence booster, laminating Rory as The Next Big Thing and shutting up anyone that thinks he can't win a lot of majors in a row. McIlroy had a chance a week ago to win at the St. Jude, but I think just playing well will be big for him, and if he wins consecutive U.S. Opens, it would be epic for the future of golf.

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That may be a little hyperbolic, simply because one win for a player who has already won this event doesn't change much.

But McIlroy could become the new face of the US Open if he is able to conquer this major for the second consecutive year.

Yahoo Sports

In the most comprehensive breakdown of McIlroy's chances, Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports presents reasons why McIlroy will and won't win before offering up his final analysis. 

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He'll be solid, he'll be strong, but he won't throttle the field the way he did last year. Too many players are playing too well; Rory won't embarrass himself, but he won't bring home another trophy. Yet.

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As I wrote before, McIlroy is just 23 years old. We have such high (unrealistic) expectations for him after his performance in the first three rounds of the 2011 Masters and dominance at the U.S. Open, yet he is still maturing as a golfer. 

Not everyone can do the things Tiger Woods used to be able to do, so as Busbee suggests, don't consider a loss for McIlroy this week a failure.

He will be great for a long, long time to come. 

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