The four-time main winner is under intense scrutiny again this week after coughing up an overnight one-shot lead in Abu Dhabi, the eighth time in 11 attempts he has been in the second or third place in the opener of the Tour of Europe season without ever winning.
Those are remarkable statistics – and he accepts them sensitively – by any measure. That a player of his stature could be so close, so often, without ever truly lifting the cup baffling.
But for me it’s all part of the Northern Irish charm. At its best it not only looks unstable (most do its best) but getting into golf you just can’t take your eyes off it.
The kick in the step, the free-flowing swing, the stunning scenery and the child-like joy he brings in showing off his rare gifts all add up to something appealing.
“Rory’s contribution to the game is off the most important course.” – Rod Morri
But the other Rory – the one who can miss a green with a sand wedge from 100 yards and who can let his head down and his shoulders go down like another putt misses – is something so strong to look.
Physically, there is almost nothing McIlroy can’t do with a golf club. But top-notch golf is not just about physicality.
There is a point where elite golf is becoming more about the potential scene and it is here that Rory looks so different.
Where Tiger Woods’ physical talent allowed him to dominate behind a single mind that revolved around inhumanity, McIlroy has almost none of that.
It’s not that he doesn’t work hard or ‘want’ it (whatever it is) but unlike Woods, Rory is human and happy to be that way.
For me, Rory’s contribution to the game is offline.
He is one of a minority at the highest level who is truly thoughtful and able to see the world more widely than just through living experience itself.
In interviews it is engaging, artistic and honest to blame. He has mistakes of his own and will give answers he knows will worry him more down the road.
But he does it because it’s the right thing to do and he accepts the responsibility his role in the game requires: to make a legitimate donation, without adding the endless vanilla clicks so many are falling backwards.
Players like McIlroy are a gift to us all for more than just the sheer joy of seeing them play.
That’s his own reward but it’s the other stuff that puts a player in the next tier and McIlroy has that in spades.
Now if we could just get over the line at Augusta National to cancel the professional Grand Slam, it could push for a place in the pantheon of the greats who have ever been there.
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