US Open Golf 2011: Rory McIlroy Leads After Round 1, but Can He Avoid Collapse?

For years, the pride of Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy, has been billed as the "next big thing" for the PGA Tour.

The 22-year-old McIlroy was supposed to take the torch passed to him by Tiger Woods when Woods was supposed to be out of his prime. With Tiger's heavily documented personal and health struggles, McIlroy has been forced to step into the spotlight maybe before he had to.

McIlroy opened the 2011 Masters with a bang as he took Augusta National by storm. After opening rounds of seven, three and two strokes under par, McIlroy sat comfortably atop the leaderboard with just 18 holes separating him from his first Major Championship and a green jacket.

The young Irishman had an epic collapse on Sunday. He shot a final round of 80 and fell 14 spots to finish tied for 15th.

For many, a collapse of these proportions, especially a golfer of such a young age like McIlroy, could damage a golfer's demeanor. In other words, it could easily destroy any confidence and mental well-being, something any golfer needs to succeed.

Although McIlroy has immense talent, and is probably—aside from Tiger and Phil Mickelson—the most recognized player currently on the tour, he is only the eighth-ranked player on tour.

So the mop-headed teenager opened his first round on the extremely difficult par-three 10th hole, and never looked back. McIlroy took the longest US Open course in history, Congressional in Bethesda, Maryland, by storm, shooting a six under 65.

After his round, ESPN's Tom Rinaldi interviewed McIlroy. Rinaldi asked the question on everyone's mind.

"Rory, it's not a final round, it's a first round, but after what happened at Augusta, the inevitable question: What meaning do you find in today's performance?"

McIlroy answered, "Umm, you know, it was a good round of golf." With a chuckling smile, he continued, "I'm sorta getting used to these first rounds at majors. I just think that I need to keep it going...I'm going to go home with a pretty clear mind tonight."

That is with out a doubt an encouraging sign for McIlroy.

The way he appears to be taking the Open in stride and thinking about each round individually without looking ahead is encouraging for the young man looking to capture his first major—after having chances in not only the 2011 Masters but the 2010 British Open.

As far as the 2011 US Open, McIlroy's promising start has revealed nothing but positives. He seems to be playing confident and has made tremendous efforts to erase his Masters collapse from his memory.

McIlroy looked strong through his first 18 holes, both physically and mentally, and showed no signs of a hangover from Augusta. With a great start in his back pocket, McIlroy looks poised to break through and take his first Major Championship from the toughest tournament in golf: the United States Open at Congressional.

Josh Rosenblat is a high school student from Chicago looking to find a way to break into sports journalism. He often writes about the NBA (primarily the Chicago Bulls), as well as the MLB, college basketball, Tennis and the NFL. You can email him at [e-mail] or follow him on Twitter @JMRosenblat. Feel free to send him comments.

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