Rory McIlroy Says He's No Tiger On The Course

There's more than one way to skin a cat, and Rory McIlroy says that he has a different way of going about his business on the golf course than does Tiger Woods:

"He gives out this aura where everything is just so focused and so — you know, it’s like I’m going to rip your head off on that first tee," said McIlroy. "I felt like that’s the way I needed to be to win a major. But I quickly found out that isn’t me and that isn’t how I play my best golf."

It's fair to point out that Woods and McIlroy are at different points in their careers: Tiger has some 70 wins and 14 majors to his credit, whereas McIlroy has 5 wins and 1 major on his trophy case. McIlroy may never match Woods in victories or majors either -- but then again, it's unlikely that any player will in the foreseeable future.

All that is beside the point, however, as it is foolish to think that Rory is not a highly skilled player with the potential to lift the trophy at the end of any tournament he is playing in these days -- major or regular season tournament, with or without Tiger in the field, or anyone else for that matter. He's clearly a great player on the rise and a force to be reckoned with in the game. Barring injuries, it's folly to say that McIlroy doesn't have wins -- and a lot of them -- ahead of him.

He simply has a different way of going about his business on the golf course, and one that works for him better than the methods that Tiger employed when he was at the top of his game. One is not better than the other, necessarily -- different strokes for different folks is applicable here. It's notable because McIlroy is the clear heir-apparent to the position of world's best golfer, and because he is constantly being compared to and asked about Tiger Woods.

McIlroy is usually forthright and direct in his answers, but never disrespectful of Tiger, a player he calls the best in the game who's not playing his best right now...and what his answer shows is a young player who is becoming more and more comfortable in his own skin at the highest levels in his sport and is unafraid to be himself because that works best for him. That shows a quiet self-confidence that can be utterly deadly to a competitor's chances when the pressure is at its highest -- like on Sunday in Augusta.