2011 Masters: Rory McIlroy 18 Holes Away from a Comfortable Green Jacket

It is not terribly uncommon that we see a 21-year-old kid dominate the NBA. It is even less uncommon to see a 21-year-old running back shred defenses in the NFL. But a 21-year-old dominate on the biggest stage in golf? That's simply absurd.

Golf is sometimes like a fine wine, it gets better with age. It requires a mix of talent and experience, and it is usually difficult to obtain the experience to win at 21 years of age. But Rory McIlroy is showing the entire world that his sheer talent is able to make up for his lack of experience. After a stellar two-under 70 on Saturday, he is a mere 18 holes away from his first major.

McIlroy has had three bogeys in three days on his way to 12-under par, which gives him a four shot lead going into Sunday. Rory is dominating the competition, not only on the leaderboard, but also in nearly every facet of his game. 

Augusta is a course that requires players to perform on all cylinders, and Rory is doing just that. The Irishman has an average driving distance of 303.3 yards. He has hit 30 of the 42 fairways, good for 71.4%.  Rory has also hit 43 of the 54 greens in regulation (79.6%); and to top it off he has only used his putter a mere 89 times (1.65 average). 

This is no fluke. There’s more to this kid than a smooth swing and great hair. He can play with the best in the world, and for the last three days, he’s looked like he is the best in the world. 

After Tiger Woods' incredible 66, many people believed that Rory’s run atop the leaderboard would end on Saturday. But perhaps Tiger is not back to his old form just yet, as he was unable to execute during his third round at the Masters. 

Tiger never was able to threaten Rory’s lead, and he carded 37-37 for a two-over 74. Woods, known by many as the best putter of all time, severely struggled with the flatstick, as he had 33 putts, including two three-putts. 

Woods, who has never come back on Sunday to win a major, is trailing young McIlroy by seven. It appears as if he’ll need nothing short of a miracle in order to be wearing the green jacket tomorrow. 

Rory holds a four shot lead over 2009 champion Angel Cabrera, K.J. Choi, and Charl Schwartzel. But there doesn't seem to be much hope for those who are tied for second. McIlroy appears to be unstoppable this week, and he had this to say: 

“I feel comfortable with my game. I’m comfortable with the way I prepared. I’m finally feeling comfortable on this golf course.” 

Comfortable sounds like an understatement to me. If he is able to execute again on Sunday, it looks like he’ll be wearing a comfortable green jacket.