Beyond the clouds of defeat, who’s to say the greatest victory is yet to come?
On one of the proudest stages in golf, 21-year-old Rory McIlroy had semi-savored the great taste of success. Already the world saw a golf prodigy with great expectations.
In April he led two days of the Masters masterfully as veteran pros softly scrambled to keep up with his scores. When things couldn’t get any better, when he was just going on his dandy way- it happened and no matter his talent, it was clear that his time would not be under the bright spring Georgia sun.
Maybe patience wasn’t his first problem but it was clear as he had a rogue hit far left off the course that being so close to something so powerful, the downfall began. What was previously poised prodigy was now frustrated youth, blatantly evident and oh-so-hard to watch. He had had it all, but he slipped and fell.
The great thing about being young (at heart) and passionate is that the resiliency of youth is hopeful; it never loses faith and can bounce back from hard knocks even with scraped raspberry knees as the harsh reminder.
Back in the season when I first was debating writing this, the Sox were losing to the Rays at Fenway. The scoreboard read 16-5 with two outs, full count in the bottom of the eighth. As ESPN read off the credits and already wrote the game off, a man sitting somewhere behind home plate with a sox hat could still be heard yelling, “Come on! Get a F******* run! Come on!” To the backdrop of “Let’s go Red Sox”, kids peered over the railing with rally hats on, smiles lost in the pure ecstasy of the ballpark. That’s when I learned the value of patience and that it has a lot to do with faith.
I sat and quickly pulled together the similarities of three very different games- golf, baseball and life.
The longer the season, or the course, the larger the room for error. But a few noble plays can make you a hero, solidify your status as a legend… or ruin you for what feels like forever. Baseball and golf, like life is never easy, but everyone expects it to be. Control what you can, but accept that sometimes life has another plan. Some days end in victory, some end in the type of rogue demise you can’t wrap your head around, and some days end in a simple swing and a miss.
From now on I’ll picture those kids in the bottom of the 8th, rally hats on, waiting patiently for a hero to step up to the plate and for good things to come- even if it isn’t right away. The Sox didn’t win that night, Rory was on the front page of papers that described his meltdown in destroying detail. But it was not known then that in two short months the discouraging stories of April would transform into dynamic stories of determination. The Sox would be dominating the American League East and Rory would set a “blistering pace” through the U.S. Open.
VINDICATION
“I learned a lot from Augusta,” McIlroy said while talking to reporters after he had set the historic record of becoming the first player to reach 13 under par and set a 36-hole scoring record at 11-under 131. In the very midst of an unprecedented performance, McIlroy acknowledged the past as something you can’t run from, but you sure as hell can’t dwell on.
“You can’t let any other thoughts get into your head,” he said. “You can’t think about what’s happened before.”
Head up, you have to keep looking to the future. McIlroy attributed intense preparation to his strong starts. But everyone, including McIlroy knew, strong starts was all he had. But that was then.
“I feel like, even though it’s been a very short career… I’ve learned a lot from these experiences, and I feel as if I have enough experiences leading majors and being up there that you know the time is right to go ahead and get my first win,” he said.
“It’s quite a show he’s put on,” said fellow golfer Rory Sabbatini.
It’s no shock that success was coming his way. It was just up to him and that indescribable x-factor as to when and how dominating that success would be.
“I’m not surprised-I am surprised on this golf course! But not surprised he’s playing well,” said David Love III. “He’s certainly bounced back from the Masters as we all knew he would.”
In the end the Luck of the Irish wasn’t luck at all. He wasn’t perfect, but as far as our human confines and the sport of golf lets us be, he was pretty damn close.
The crowd roared on Sunday as the announcers portrayed his performance like watching a new king crowned. He walked off the course a confident golfer, each step bringing him closer and closer to a trophy embodying his utterly epic win of historical proportions.
Vindication is a powerful thing to see, and Rory gave it to us.
“It’s unbelievable how good he’s playing- obviously to have the lead he’s had in a U.S. Open- it’s pretty ridiculous. And at such a young age!” Golfer Jason Day described after day two of the tournament.
“Obviously the next generation is starting to kick up now and he’s the guy that’s leading it.”
Even though in the grand scheme of things Rory didn't really have to wait long. Damn young talent.
ReplyDelete