Rory McIlroy: A Bit of Advice for the Young Pup

Here’s a bit of advice for Rory McIlroy: win something before criticizing others who are far more accomplished golfers.

Win a major, just a single major.

Hold it together both mentally and physically when leading a golf tournament heading into the weekend.

This is an excerpt from an essay that McIlroy recently wrote for golf.com:

"I wasn't playing against Tiger Woods when he had that aura. I was watching on TV! I remember getting nervous when I first met him. I was 15. There was a presence about him. There still is to some extent, but when you're on the golf course you simply block it out. But Tiger is not playing as well as he was even a couple of years ago, never mind going back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, when he was at his best. I'm not sure we are going to see him dominate again the way he did. He never seemed like he would make a mistake.

"It's not that he's playing badly. He's simply playing badly by Tiger's standards. He's playing like an ordinary golfer. People expect more of him because of what he has achieved. As much as I would love to have the success that Tiger has had on the golf course, I wouldn't want to live his life. He has made the same mistakes as any footballer, or NBA or NFL player. Tiger is obviously different from the rest of us because he is a bit of a rock star. But he can't really take his kids to the cinema. It's a tough life because of what he has done and what he represents, being the first African-American golfer to break down the barriers."

First thing’s first—research some golf history before making comments such as, “it’s a tough life because of what he has done and what he represents, being the first African-American golfer to break down the barriers.”

Umm...there’s a gentleman by the name of Charlie Sifford who was not only the first African-American to play on the PGA Tour, but was also the first African-American to win a PGA Tour event.

Then we have Lee Elder, who was the first African-American to break down the “Old South’s” (Augusta National’s) previously impenetrable gates at the 1975 Masters.  And this was despite piles of death threats appearing on his doorstep in the days, weeks and months leading up to the event.  

Calvin Peete won 12 PGA Tour events between the late '70s and late '80s and was the most prolific African-American golfer until Woods came along in 2007.

Woods is by far the most accomplished African-American golfer of all-time, but he is by no means the one that broke down barriers for African-American golfers.

If anything, the likes of Sifford, Elder and Peete broke down the barriers for Woods to enjoy the type of acceptance he has received since day one as a professional golfer.

That’s not to say that Woods hasn’t been the victim of any discrimination within the historically white, affluent golf world—because he has.

But the discrimination Woods has faced is peanuts when compared to what the likes of Sifford, Elder and Peete had to endure during their careers.  

Ok, with that out of the way, let’s address the elephant in the room (or on the Internet)—the criticism of Woods.

Sure, Woods is not playing well at the moment. He’s spraying the ball everywhere and couldn’t roll a golf ball through a basketball hoop on the greens.

However, golf is a game that is more steeped in history than probably any other sport out there.

Respect for the game’s history is just as much a cornerstone of golf as 18 holes, St. Andrews, or Old Tom Morris.

Woods has earned the respect that he enjoys, and ought to enjoy as it pertains to his accomplishments on the golf course.  

McIlroy has only earned the respect of writers and television analysts who salivate over his inexperienced, immature comments they use to sell newspapers, magazines or boost television ratings.

Woods has accomplished more in a single year than McIlroy has accomplished in four years as a professional.

When Woods was McIlroy’s age, he was winning the Masters by 12 strokes and sending the green coats at Augusta National scrambling to figure out a way to stop this monster from ever devouring their crown jewel again.

Woods is also responsible for all of those fancy sports cars that McIlroy owns.

If there were no Woods, it’s not unreasonable to believe that McIlroy would have earned a third of the money he’s already earned in just four years as a professional.

Trust me; the masses ain’t coming out to see McIlroy.

The likes of McIlroy, Westwood, Donald, etc., draw thousands to their HD television sets.  Woods is the one that draws out the millions.  This in turn has resulted in massive bank accounts for every single man, woman, child and caddie associated with professional golf.  

So, here’s another bit of advice for young Rory.

Go ahead and win a major before criticizing any player who has actually won one of the only four professional golf tournaments that matter.

And next time you see Woods in passing, simply say thank you and move on.

For more PGA Tour news, insight and analysis, check out The Tour Report.