Free Rory's Glory by Justin Doyle

place. Later, he warned the world he was getting better and better.
    Three days later Rory arrived in Carmel, Indiana, (not to be confused with Carmel on the Monterrey peninsula in California, home of Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood) for the BMW Championship.
    Rain in the preceding days had made the ‘Crooked Stick’ course soft, which was just the way Rory preferred it. After so much play in hot, humid conditions and on hard and sun baked courses, this meant Rory could ‘use’ the ball by putting backspin on it.
    His rich vein of form continued as he pummeled the fairways and greens with a -8, 64. Teeing off at the 10 th , he picked up a few early birdies and had his only bogey of the day on the 13 th . However, his round really kicked into gear when he eagled the par-five 15 th .
    Birdies on his last two holes at the 8 th and 9 th capped off a very good day with a delighted Rory telling the media after his round:
    It was great. With the soft conditions you could really shoot a number out there and I did. I took advantage of also hitting the ball really well, hitting it in the fairway which I need to do and also hitting it long and giving myself a lot of opportunities. I missed a few but was able to make the most of them. Great start to the tournament.
    Joining him at the top after the first round were Canadian Graham DeLaet and Americans Webb Simpson and Bo Van Pelt. Ominously placed just a shot behind – and as good as his word of improving – was Tiger Woods, along with Luke Donald.
    Woods, who partnered Rory for the day, actually chipped in from 30 feet for a birdie on the last hole. When he came in to face the media, he gave a huge ringing endorsement of young Rory having seen him up close in the heat of battle. These were Tiger’s words:
    He’s a nice kid, he really is. It’s fun to play with him and he’s just an amazing talent. You watch him swing the club and watch him putt and play – he doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses. This is the next generation of guys coming out. You can see that, in the next decade or so, as he really matures and understands some of the nuances of the game, he’s only going to get better. And that’s fun to see. The game of golf is in great hands with him and he’s here to stay.
    With such glowing words from one of the best players to have graced the game, you would have expected an inspired Rory to leave the field in his slipstream. But after his 64, he regressed over the next two days with rounds of 68, 69 to lie on 15 under.
    Phil Mickelson matched Rory’s best of the week 64 in the third round, and so he was the overnight leader with Vijay Singh going into the final day. Rory would go out in the second-to-last group with his old pal Lee Westwood.
    Fijian Singh, who has struggled to get back to his best over the past few years, was the first to crack and never really struck a blow. His playing partner ‘Lefty’ Mickelson also faltered and despite finishing with his usual late flurry, he did not trouble the principals.
    It proved to be another appetizing gun fight between Rory and Westy as James Corrigan of The Telegraph pointed out:
    It seemed appropriate that golf’s finest topped one of golf’s finest leader boards. While McIlroy and Westwood went at it like two heavyweights, prizefighters of the quality of Tiger Woods, Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Vijay Singh threw their own shots. However, as hard as they tried none of them could bring down the 23-year-old.
    Westwood gave McIlroy a real grilling. After a series of stunning approach shots, he kept pace with Rory up until the 13 th hole when they were neck and neck in a terrific duel. Then Rory upped another gear and pulled away.
    His birdies on the 15 th and 16 th were true examples of a real champion under pressure. Everything that was thrown at him he took and gave it back with an extra thud. Those two birdies proved the difference with McIlroy winning by