What next for Rory McIlroy and the world of golf?
Rory McIlroy at the US Open 2011
As Rory McIlroy cruised to his first major at Congressional last week a star was not so much as born but thrust to the forefront of the media’s gaze. His talents have been known for many a year, the US Open 2011 was just the week that everything came together for the Northern Irishman.
The 22-year-old now has the world of golf at his feet and some are even talking about him becoming the biggest sportsman on the planet. But, as I’m sure Tiger Woods will agree, the next major is always the hardest to win.
Comparisons to Woods and Jack Nicklaus have already been made but the golfing landscape is much more competitive now than it was when the American duo were at their respective peaks. McIlroy is young, but to even get close to the 18 major titles of Nicklaus, or the 14 of Woods, will require something extraordinary.
Paddy Power offer odds of 12/1 that he will surpass Nicklaus and win 19 or more majors – I’d be looking for at least 50/1 there. It’s 9/1 that he beats Woods’ current haul of 14 without going past Nicklaus’s 18, between 8 and 10 is 10/3 and it is 28/1 that he never wins another major; although you may have to wait a while to be paid out on the latter.
Focussing on the immediate future, it is 1/5 that he ends the season without another major title, 7/2 that he wins two and 22/1 that he adds both the claret jug and the USPGA trophy to his mantelpiece. You can get 100/1 that McIlroy makes a clean sweep of the majors in 2012.
One bet that is appealing is the 50/1 that Skybet are offering on McIlroy being the 1st round leader in all four majors this season – he has already led at the 18-hole stage in Augusta and at the US Open.
Finally, McIlroy has also been backed in to 4/5 to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, having been backed at a high of 269/1 on betting exchange Betfair earlier in the year. Given the current hype surrounding the youngster those odds are no surprise. But it is worth bearing in mind that Graeme McDowell’s similar achievements last season (plus his heroics at the Ryder Cup) couldn’t secure him a top three place in the public vote. McIlroy may need to win one of the remaining majors to take the award, Andy Murray and/or David Haye could yet surpass him in the public’s reckoning over the coming weeks.
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