McGinley: Rory over-hyped
McIlroy took the game of golf by storm at Congressional Country Club last month when he won the US Open by eight strokes to become, at 22 years and 46 days, the youngest winner of that title since Bobby Jones in 1923.
The feat led to predictions by some of golf’s leading lights that the Holywood youngster was set to succeed where Woods has so far failed and surpass Nicklaus’s record of 18 major victories.
McIlroy, who arrives at the British Open this morning after three weeks off, will start Thursday’s opening round at Royal St George’s as a red-hot favourite to complete back-to-back major victories but, talking to the sports betting website Betfair.com, McGinley said he believed it was in the player’s interests if such talk was tempered for the time being.
“There’s a massive expectation now on him and, to be honest, I think he’s been over-hyped in the last month,” McGinley said.
“He is an extraordinary young man, and he does have the talent to be as good as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, but he is nowhere near that yet.
“He still has a lot to prove, and I think in Rory’s interests, and everybody’s interests, it would be good if everybody stood back from putting this crown on his head and just let him get on with it.”
McGinley, who tied for 14th on Sunday at the rain-shortened Barclays Scottish Open for his best finish since claiming the same position at last year’s Irish Open, was one of Colin Montgomerie’s vice-captains at Celtic Manor last October when McIlroy helped Europe regain the Ryder Cup from the United States.
But he took a different view to his captain after Monty’s suggestion that the Irishman should have played another tournament rather than take a break following the US Open.
“I know he’s played well the last few major championships by playing very little beforehand, and at this moment in time it seems that’s his best way to prepare.
“In three or four years he may have a different opinion, but at the moment it seems to work for him,” McGinley said, before warning that the links test ahead of McIlroy at Sandwich this week would be a totally different test to Congressional.
“He’ll be coming to Royal St George’s with a huge amount of confidence for what he did at the US Open, but it is a totally different exam paper at the Open, completely different. It’s like going from science one week to doing mathematics the next. Completely different skills will be required to mastermind his way around a links course.
“You’re talking about a running course, compared to Congressional. That’s very much in the air and very little on the ground, whereas on a links sometimes you need to bump and run the ball.
“Of course he’s well equipped for links courses, he grew up with them in Ireland and had a lot of success as an amateur; he also did well last year at St Andrews before that one horror round in tough conditions. So it’s not he hasn’t got the skills, but you have to hone them. It’s like a tennis player going from clay courts to grass.”
McGinley’s top-14 finish at Castle Stuart Golf Links was not enough to earn him a spot at this week’s British Open but before he headed to the Far East to play in the Indonesian Open he backed his Ryder Cup charges to continue their success in the majors.
Asked which golfer Royal St George’s would suit, McGinley said: “I think all the European-based players. It’s a matter of time before there is a flurry of European winners, we had a South African last year, but don’t be surprised if a European wins it soon. Our golfers are dominating the world rankings at the moment and that’s not a coincidence. They are playing the best golf. As I’m not playing at Royal St George’s there’s nothing to stop me backing Lee Westwood to win.
“He’s a great driver of the golf ball and that will be one of the key skills this week.”
