True Measure of a Champion Shout-out

In April I gave a Masters Shout-out that recognized the achievements of Charl Schwartzel in capturing the Masters Championship and the green jacket that accompanies such an honor. At the end of the Shout –out I gave a notable Shout-out to the young Rory McIlroy who had show cased his amazing talents through the first three rounds of the Masters, only to collapse in the final round, particularly on the final nine holes. As part of the notable Shout-out I made the comment “everyone seemed to indicate that this young man has a good head on his shoulders, and in his post round interview he mentioned learning from this experience and evaluating what he can take away to become a better player in the future.” Today marked to final round of the 111th U.S. Open Championship held at Congressional Country Club, an event that was dominated from start to finish by, you guessed it Rory McIlroy. The young man was not just victorious, but was spectacular in victory, setting or tying twelve Major Championship records that once seemed unreachable. Rory, now 22 years and 1 month is the youngest to win the U.S Open Championship since World War II, and the second youngest to win any Major Championship, only trailing Tiger Woods Masters win at age 21 years. Many of the records Rory passed or tied with his magnificent performance, once solely belong to Tiger, and like the young Tiger there was a sense of innocence and passion from the young Rory throughout the tournament and in post Championship interviews. Rory’s superb performance and eventual victory in the U.S Open Championship also marks the fourth straight Major Championship that Rory has been in contention, and in which he has lead at some point, if not for most of the tournament. As in all major sports Rory is quickly being touted as the “Next,” and in this case he is being crowned the “Next Tiger Woods.” The truth is that Rory my become the next superstar of Golf, but it is also important to note that “Next” should be applied to the” Next Generation” as a player in his 20’s has claimed the last 4 major titles, including a one, two finish today at the U.S. Open Championship with Rory age 22 years and Jason Day age 23 years (Not to mention that the last 5 Major Championships, dating back to Phil Mickelson’s 2010 Masters Victory, have been won by International players).

The true measure of a Champion is not how many victories you have, but the victories that come from your defeats. Rory you were gracious in defeat and humble in victory, and now you are the 2011 U.S. Open Champion, Congratulations.

Jake