What Luke really meant...

Apparently, we are meant to swallow the headlines that world #1 Luke Donald believes Rory McIlroy to have more talent that Tiger Woods. Did he actually say that? His later clarifications would imply that his remarks were taken out of context (shock - when doesn't this happen?!) but the undertones of his gamesmanship are designed to unsettle the pretender to his European Tour crown.

His comments were designed to a) get the media talking comparisons between McIlroy and Woods and b) McIlroy thinking about anything other than getting the ball in the hole in less shots than Donald this week. There is no way that Luke Donald, an intelligent and well-travelled man, would seriously believe that Rory McIlroy is a better player than Tiger Woods, the winner of 93 titles worldwide including 14 majors. The specifics of what he said, however, might be true. 

It's fair to say that Tiger Woods has a golf swing that has undergone at least two radical transformations since he burst on to the professional scene with victory at the 1997 Masters. His original swing put his body under enormous stress, particularly with the explosive locking of his left knee (hindsight, eh?) and, as his career progressed, it became clear that he would have to manufacture changes to this swing to prolong his involvement at the highest level. To question his talent to be able to go through this kind of change at least twice, and still come back to perform towards the top of the game, is extraordinary to say the least, so it is surprising that so many media outlets saw it that way. 

Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, has a swing so natural in style, so smooth in its exection, that you certainly don't foresee the same physical ailments forcing a change anytime in the future. If you look at footage of his swing as a teenager, it's fundamentally the same.

There is a true point that LD was trying to make - Rory has a unique natural talent, whereas Tiger has had to work damn hard to create what he has. That's not to say Rory hasn't had to work bloody hard - it's just the work has been on different aspects.

Where LD stole a march on R-Mac is with what he didn't say about mental strength. LD knows his own strength of mind. He also knows that Woods has probably the strongest mental resolve of any player on tour, potentially in the history of the game. He also knows that, when it comes to potential flakiness when the pressure is on, young Rory has a bit of a rap sheet.

Exhibit A is the infamous Masters Meltdown - four shots clear going into Sunday's round, he admitted afterwards that he didn't know what to do. Attack (as he had done all week) or defend his position against the chasing pack (including one T. Woods) - the result is, of course, well documented. Many would claim that he had put this issue to bed with his US Open win but, looking more closely, he wasn't put under pressure by anyone that week. It was a stroll.

Donald knew that McIlroy has a history of folding under pressure and biting when prodded - witness his performance at the 2011 Open when his struggles were heavily criticised and he snapped back about crappy weather (attempting to deflect attention from his performance) and not liking links golf. He also nibbled when the commentator Jay Townsend asked legitimate questions about the abilities of JP Fitzgerald, McIlroy's caddy. The very public spat via Twitter was very immature of Rory and reminded the world that he's only 22.

Woods, on the other hand, has conjoured results and wins from seemingly impossible positions and has a resolute attitude to his game. Examples are his 2005 Masters win, effectively sealed by the miraculous chip-in on #16, and his 2008 US Open playoff win against Rocco Mediate, completed with his left knee shot (again) and a fracture to the top of his fibula. 

He also has history of dealing with attempts at gamesmanship by others - at the 2006 WMP, Stephen Ames made reference to the occasionally wayward tee shots of Woods. The result? Your trousers, sir. At the 2006 US PGA, Luke Donald was paired with Woods for the final round and wore an unfamiliar red shirt, the usual Sunday uniform of Woods. The result? Your trousers, sir.
 
And that doesn't even begin to examine how he managed to compete and win for so long whilst maintaining a catalogue of lies and bullshit to the woman he married and the mother of his children. 

Mental strength? No competition.






I am the Part-Time Golfer