Another Big Step Upward Looms for Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy is the man.

He's king of the hill, top of the heap, A-No. 1.

When the chips are down on the game's biggest stages, he is the player to beat on the PGA Tour.

And with all of the buzz created by the 23-year-old Irishman's three victories (Honda Classic, PGA Championship and Deustche Bank Championship), it's kind of under the radar that the youngster is halfway to the career slam, i.e. winning all four major champions over the course of a career.

Looking at the big picture, however, McIlroy has the opportunity and potential to have the career slam mean about as much as a Rookie of the Week award.

McIlroy will be in great position to win the FedEx Cup in two weeks at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

He'll be situated in the top five, meaning he controls his own destiny. If he wins the Tour Championship, he wins it all.

Not only would that provide a cherry on top of what has been a sundae of a season for him, it would also give him a whale of a boost leading into the offseason. Being the FedEx Cup champion is not the same as winning another major title, and nobody would ever argue that.

But even with a youngster as talented as McIlroy, winning can never be underestimated.

Winning more and more will make him realize just how good he is, and once he comes to grips with that, there's no telling what he might accomplish.

If he's able to complete the slam next year by winning the Masters and Open Championship, he'll do so at the same age as another guy who was a pretty good player in his own day. That, of course, would be Tiger Woods, the gold standard by which the best in the world are measured.

Now, however, there's a new measuring stick—one that has those 23-year-old nerves that Woods had a decade-and-a-half ago.

How well is McIlroy playing right now?

In his last 23 rounds (which include a pair of wins), McIlroy has posted rounds in the 60s 15 times.

He shot 69 in the third round of the BMW Saturday and finds himself a shot out of the lead with a great chance looming in the fourth round.

Despite taking a bogey on one of the par fives at Crooked Stick and failing to make a birdie on another, he's right there.

"It wasn’t the greatest ball-striking round out there that I’ve ever had," McIlroy said in his post-round press conference. "But I somehow managed to scrape it around in 69 and still in with a chance. As badly as I did hit it out there, I’m still happy with my position going into tomorrow."

Everything points to McIlroy becoming the long-term face of golf, and that would make golf fans everywhere very happy.

Woods may have been the best player in the world, but he was never the most popular. McIlroy's youthful exuberance and personality make him the perfect anti-Tiger.

There are no sure bets in any sporting endeavor, but the guy with the curly hair sticking out of his golf hat looks as much a sure thing as is possible.