Rory McIlroy Nike deal to net Northern Ireland star millions

[Liverpel]

McIlroy has a putt from about 18 inches to win.

[Liverpel]

He's done it. Nice one. The lad is on fire at the moment.

[Liverpel]

Good night from est's golf correspondent.

[Vermilion]

Mickelson finishes on -15.

Fowler currently -14. McIlroy is -16.

Can't believe they told Mickelson to step aside and let McIlroy play through.

[Norbs]

Beebs early headline 'Man U win yet another trophy'

[PTP]

No one else watching this?

nope some of us have work

i wanted to stay up, stayed up as long as i could but about half 12, think mcilroy was on about the 12/13th - i just couldn't keep my eyes open.

mcilroys eagle on the 10th was ****ing ridiculous. Only player to hit the green in two.

Not only did he hit the green in two, he stuck it pin high to about 10 foot! and holed out.

I like mcilroy, really do - said it after the open win, don't understand the 'bitterness' towards him.


just shows you as well, binning off that bird was defo the right decision for him

[Jas]

nope some of us have work

i wanted to stay up, stayed up as long as i could but about half 12, think mcilroy was on about the 12/13th - i just couldn't keep my eyes open.

mcilroys eagle on the 10th was ****ing ridiculous. Only player to hit the green in two.

Not only did he hit the green in two, he stuck it pin high to about 10 foot! and holed out.

I like mcilroy, really do - said it after the open win, don't understand the 'bitterness' towards him.


just shows you as well, binning off that bird was defo the right decision for him

I also managed to stay up until the 10th, they were 2 massive shots, the second being a 288yd 3 wood to 10 ft. I am happy hitting that sort of distance with my driver let alone 3 wood! Thought he was going to blow it but that eagle was the game changer for him, always felt he would go on to win it from that point. As a golfer he is the new darling of the media, the 'new' Tiger but not in his class, it is also looking good for the European defence of the Ryder cup, 3 of the 4 majors being held by the European team!!

[PTP]

yeah he's defo not got the 'phenomenon' factor that woods brought, but he has everything, wonderful swing, great power, good bottle, good short game, sorted out his off the field issues with his now ex - he'll go on and dominate imo and i reckong he'll go past ten majors comfortably.


Ryder Cups ours to lose isn't it? - we look so strong and the Americans just don't seem to worry me....


it's weird this time round isn't - you get some from table, some from another table and then make up the numbers with wild cards?

it looks like it will be

McIlroy
Stenson
Garcia
Dubisson
Rose
Kaymer
Bjorn
Donaldson
McDowell

they are the 9 qualifiers.....then 3 wild cards

between
Poulter
Westwood
Casey
Donald
Jimenez
Molinari x 2

difficult to choose.


Westwood surely to good to be out but his putting worries me

Donald has to be there?

Poulter is the ultimate wild card dream pick for the ryder cup


that would be my three

[Chazza]

Yeah I agree although the only one out of that lot I wouldn't go for is Casey.

The rest would be more than capable.

[wiw]

Anyone see Fowler's 9 iron over the trees on I think it was the 16th, might have been the 17th. It was ridiculous. He sliced his drive onto the adjacent fairway, then absolutely ripped a 9 iron over the trees, hooking it onto the edge of the green. I think they said the distance to pin was about 212 yards, admittedly he was left with a huge 60ft putt but..that means he hit a 9 iron about 190 yards?

[PTP]

ridiculous

[Jas]

Anyone see Fowler's 9 iron over the trees on I think it was the 16th, might have been the 17th. It was ridiculous. He sliced his drive onto the adjacent fairway, then absolutely ripped a 9 iron over the trees, hooking it onto the edge of the green. I think they said the distance to pin was about 212 yards, admittedly he was left with a huge 60ft putt but..that means he hit a 9 iron about 190 yards?

These guys play a different game to mere mortals like us, from an extremely wild tee shot he still made the green. Even the best player at my club, he plays off +3, could not hit a 9 iron 190 odd yds over trees and make the green like Fowler did.

[PTP]

the gulf in class between the top 100 pro's and say, very good amatuer or average club pro is ridiculous.....then when you compare to an average club player, well it's staggering - bigger gap than in other sports imo

especially when you consider the degree of the difficulty the courses are set up for these guys....take Royal Liverpool in the open the other week....i've played of their competition tees and it was ****ing hard.......and for the open, they go another 20-30 yards back, reduce the width of the fairways and then lengthen the rough


my club, it's a pretty decent standard parkland course, Par 71. we've had some top class amatuers who have won some big amatuer comps over the years.

the course record is 65.

I'd say, playing of the comp tee's, anyone of the top 50 pro's would break 60 imo reasonably easy.


for example - our stroke index 1 is par 5, 570 yards dog left, and about 260 yards, there is a ditch across the fairway, out of bounds all down the left.

hole plays into wind most of the time. I'd say 9 times out of 10, even our best player off +3, will lay up - cause into the wind, you'd need to carry the ball over 260 yards.....that's some hit.


every single one of those pro's would walk onto that tee and smash a driver 300+ yards not worrying about that ditch and leave themselves a mid to low iron into the green.

They'd birdie it every single time.


Another couple holes we have, really clever risk and reward holes. Short par 4's, say 300 yards - but with either dog legs/ponds/ditches all at cleverly thought out places,

for example the first - it's either an easy 7 iron to an nice lay up area, which leaves an 8 iron to the green - or.....go for the green, it's about 280.....but it's all over water/ditches/bunkers.


the pro's wouldn't even think about it,, they'd hit high 3 wood with a soft bounce into the middle of the green every single time and have an eagle putt/guarentee birdie.

[PTP]

another thing - i always remember being told this, that for an amauter to turn pro and have any real chance of being a 'good tour pro' - then they'd need to be playing of +6 comfortably

another way to look at it...... i know another lad who's a pro and i'm staggered how well he has done. I played with a fair few times as a junior but he came from nowhere and is a tour pro....


he has just about scrapped into the top 200 in the world. staggering. he's an unknown in the golf world.

his average score per round is about 73 (on the tour) - McIlory, world number 1, is just under 69



4 different - over a 4 round tournement that's 16 shots difference between world number 1 and world number 200

And i'd imagine world number 200 would be comfortably ahead of anyone amatuer even if they were of plus 4

[ronanm]

Interesting when you put it into context (for a useless par 3 player some years ago )

Any truth to the rumour that Monty was looking for a job at a sports agency and brought a couple of agents on a round on one of the Scottish courses to chat sh1t with them on how he wanted to be an agent with their company. Such was his low score on the round that they suggested he become a pro and that they'd be his agents or something?