Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth Pushing Each Other at U.S. Open Is What Golf Needs

Like all sports, and arguably more than most, golf needs strong individual rivalries to thrive.

That's why the world needs to root for Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth to engage in some fierce, head-to-head, shot-by-shot competition in the latest U.S. Open beginning Thursday at Chambers Bay, the former sand and gravel mining pit on the outskirts of Tacoma, Washington.

McIlroy enters the tournament ranked No. 1 in the world. Spieth, only 21 and fresh off his first major after dominating the field at the Masters, is ranked No. 2.

They need to push and prod each other. Most of all, they need to play with each other in the final group on Sunday with another major on the line.

This would be good for helping to build their own individual legacies, of course, but more importantly, it would be great for golf at a time when the decline of Tiger Woods threatens the loss of old fans and the lack of a suitable replacement—or preferably more than one—at the top of the world rankings hinders the recruitment of new ones.

McIlroy, for one, readily admitted that Spieth's performance at the Masters has already inspired him to work harder to become an even better player. Again, that's good for him and even better for the game of golf in general.

"I think everyone—not just me, but everyone on Tour—was inspired by seeing Jordan do what he did at Augusta," McIlroy told reporters recently. "It's always nice to have people pushing you, and I feel like he's one of the guys doing that right now."

To recap exactly what Spieth did at the Masters, he finished at 18 under for the tournament with a score of 270 that tied the record score posted by Woods in his own victory romp in 1997.

Oh, and by the way, Woods was 21 then.

It was no coincidence that the crowd at Augusta seemed to embrace Spieth. It did the same to Woods in 1997, sensing that a new era in golf was being ushered in.

Playing with Spieth in the final group at the Masters last April, Justin Rose made note of this to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), saying, "Playing with Jordan, he's going to sort of fly the flag for golf for quite a while. People were getting excited about that out there. You could tell."

It was reminiscent of the early Tiger years.

The romanticism of a great rivalry between individuals that can grip a fanbase is something that was lost a little during Tiger's long era of domination.

Even then, however, when that era was at its most compelling, Woods at least had a few individuals from time to time who appeared on the scene just long enough to challenge him and then be dismissed until the next one came along.

Remember the exhibition duel with David Duval in the desert? For most of 1998, Duval was actually the No. 1-ranked player in the world. And from 1997 through 2001, Duval won 13 tournaments on the PGA Tour. Woods won 27.

It was arguably the longest sustained rivalry any player ever had with Woods.

Oh, there were brief periods of time when he dueled with the likes of Vijay Singh (2004), or individual tournaments where other players rose up to challenge him head-to-head (Bob May at the 2000 PGA Championship, Chris DiMarco at the 2005 Masters, Rocco Mediate at the 2008 U.S. Open, Y.E. Yang at the 2009 PGA).

But each time, those players faded from public view all too quickly and Woods marched on, destroying the competition left in front of him.

This time, Spieth sits on the edge of becoming special with another great player (McIlroy) still straining to reach his own full potential. Barely 26 years old, McIlroy already has won four major titles (the 2011 U.S. Open, the 2014 British Open and the PGA Championship in both 2012 and 2014).

Barring an inexplicable Duval-like career collapse, these two could be going at it for the better part of the next two decades.

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

But it isn't a rivalry just because someone says it is (see: Tiger vs. Phil Mickelson). As much as the Woods-Mickelson deal was often built up, reality never matched the hype. When Tiger was at his best, Lefty wasn't. And when Mickelson was, Woods wasn't. 

Even Spieth, who seems wise well beyond his 21 years, knows a rivalry cannot be artificially manufactured and that he doesn't have a true one yet with McIlroy.

"I could certainly appreciate if I could get to where he's at, but right now I don't see myself there," Spieth told reporters in May when asked about a potential rivalry with McIlroy. "There's a lot of hard work that needs to be had to get there, and once I am there it's certainly a huge goal of mine to make it interesting with him and possibly take over No. 1."

For McIlroy vs. Spieth to have teeth, they'll need to inspire, push and beat each other a few times when it's coming down to the wire, requiring them to match each other with creative shots and clutch putts.

They'll need to go at it head-to-head on Sunday in a big tournament—preferably a major. And then they'll need to do it again and again.

They have plenty of time to accomplish this. They have the talent and seem to be motivated by each other's successes. Everything seems to be in place.

So here's to hoping they truly get this rivalry off the ground this weekend at Chambers Bay. Only one of them can emerge a winner if such a showdown unfolds, but the truth is that the real victor will be the game of golf.

Joe Menzer, who has covered various sports for more than three decades and has written six sports-related books, now writes about golf and other sports for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @OneMenz.