Rory McIlroy has won the U.S. Open in an impressive, record-breaking, fashion. The open was played at the beautiful Congressional Country Club in the Washington D.C. Metro area of Bethesda, M aryland. On the fourth, and final, day of the tournament McIlroy shot a negative two at Congressional. In all four days of play combined, McIlroy finished with a –16 for the tournament. Amazingly, this is the best score ever shot in the 111-year history of the U.S. Open. McIlroy was able to take his lead going into the last day of the tournament and hold it all the way through to his final putt on the 18^thgreen, which sealed the tournament and won him the US Open Trophy. Just two months ago a different story played out for Rory.

 The U.S. Open is the 2^ndMajor tournament of the year. The first is the Masters, which is played at the famous Augusta National course in Georgia. There, in April, Rory had a four shot lead going into the forth and final day of the tournament. To say he was not able to hold onto that lead would be an understatement. McIlroy, infamously, fell apart that day and went from first to off the leader board in a hurry. He was getting bogey after bogey scattering the golf ball all over the course that day. Amazing to think that was just 2 months before this Major tournament. If McIlroy could have held on that day, he would be half way toward golf’s ultimate goal of a grand slam. This is when a player is able to win all four major tournaments.

So far from the two major tournaments this year, Rory has led in 7 out of 8 rounds of golf. This is all at the incredibly young age of 22, which happens to be the youngest player to win a major in 88 years. In a sport where one man used to dominate all golf headlines, Rory is trying to make it a two-man race. He is taking the golf scene by storm in the absence of Tiger Woods, whom Rory often references and clearly wants to emulate. Tiger Woods is the poster-child of golf and is what all golfers are measured by. Currently, given McIlroy’s success at these majors, he is showing he can size up with anyone. Time will hopefully tell who is the ultimate number one, but currently McIlroy sits at number four in the world rankings after his win at Congressional. It is hard to say where Tiger would be if healthy, but on could only imagine golf’s future.

If tiger was healthy now, playing like he did prior to his car troubles, and not working on changing his swing we could have one heck of a year watching these two guys get after one another. It was impossible not to think of Tiger at the end of Rory’s Open championship. After that putt on 18, Rory went from the green and made a v-line to hug his father. Rory’s dad used to work three jobs just so his son could work on mastering his craft. This is reminiscent of Tiger who went right for his father and shared a teary embrace after getting his first Green Jacket at the Masters. As all golf fans know Tiger’s father Earl Woods, like Rory’s dad, did everything he could to make sure Tiger made it big in the golf game as well. Tiger, at that time, was young like McIlroy and on top of the golf world.

For now, the focus and pressure is on the 22-year old McIlroy. If he handles the pressure as he did on the fourth day at congressional, and not like the fourth day in Augusta, we could see him get to the top of the world rankings in no time. The next big test, and major, for McIlroy will be at the British Open in July.