Rory McIlroy: Golf Betting for the Young and the Fearless

Frank Doyle reassesses the field after day one of the US Open at Congressional and wonders: is the next Tiger Woods already here?

Nobody knows more than Rory McIlroy that golf tournaments are won over seventy-two holes, not eighteen. But my goodness, what a round McIlroy shot yesterday to lead the US Open and see his golf betting odds slashed from +2000 or thereabouts to +225 after one round.

McIlroy shot a six under par 65 to lead the Open by three strokes from Charl Schwartzel and YE Yang and he’s burning down the course as we speak more than half-way through his second round.

However. It’s worthwhile to remember that the last time the US Open was at Congressional the first round leader shot 65 as well, to lead by one from Steve Stricker and Hal Sutton.

Colin Montgomerie’s 65 at Congressional was considered one of the great US Open rounds, and Monty went on to shoot 67 on Saturday and 69 on Sunday. But tragically for the Best-Player-Never, he shot a horrendous 76 on Friday and, although he fought back manfully, Ernie Els won that US Open by one stroke, -4 to Monty’s -3.

What makes McIlroy’s price that much more tempting is that Monty was 34 when he shot 65 at Congressional in 1997. He had already come third in the US Open in 1992, and second in 1994. He was second in the PGA Championship in 1995.

Golf is played in the head and it’s reasonable to think those close misses were in Monty’s head on that Friday thirteen years ago when he shot 76. Once his chance was gone his stroke returned, but the harsh judgement is Monty blew up in 1997 when the pressure was on.

Rory McIlroy is 22 years old. When he won his first PGA Tour event last year, he couldn’t legally be served any drink stronger than soda-pop to celebrate. Fear means nothing to him. The weight that had built up around Monty by 1997 means less than nothing to McIlroy. Youth brooks no fear.

McIlroy hasn’t won it yet, of course, and Bubba Watson can tell him that things can always go wrong at the US Open. Watson was on course for -3 and share of second yesterday but three bogeys in this final three holes saw him come in at even par. He can still come back of course – Els was six behind Monty in 1997 – but it depends on his head.

Watson was so annoyed about the finish that he refused to speak to the media afterwards. It’s easy sympathize with how he felt, but the attitude is worrying. Not because the media are so special, but because if you want win golf tournaments you can’t let yourself get destroyed by what’s happened. For a champion golfer, the only shot is the next shot. Nothing else exists.

One of the defining features of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods at the height of their powers was their icy calm. Bubba Watson and the rest of the field will need that if they’re to challenge McIlroy for the rest of the week because it looks like icy calm is yet another weapon in the talented young Irishman’s armoury.

Sports Interaction has three ball US Open betting for the rest of today and then live betting for the rest of the weekend!