Rory Rocks the U.S. Open
Tiger Woods used to have days like these — almost routinely, it seemed. But this year's U.S. Open was a pure Rory story. Rory McIlroy, a 22-year-old curly-haired golf phenomenon from Northern Ireland, broke a slew of records in his dominating eight-shot victory at the Congressional Country Club outside Washington, D.C. His was the lowest under-par finish — 16 under — in the 111-year history of the tournament. He reached double-digits under par faster than any golfer in U.S. Open history, doing it in 26 holes. He had the lowest U.S. Open scores after 36 holes (131), 54 holes (199) and 72 holes (268). It was a transcendent effort, and one thing made it even more impressive: a few months earlier, at the Masters, McIlroy had taken a four-shot lead into the final round, only to shoot an 80 and finish tied for 15th. At times, McIlroy was struggling so badly, you almost begged the CBS cameras to stop showing the meltdown. Many young players would have sunk into a deep mental funk. The easygoing McIlroy, though, laughed it off and went on to make history.