Hail King Rory-Golf's New No. 1

Golf has its new king and he comes in the form of a floppy-haired, Irish, 22-year-old, who can flat out play.

With Rory McIlroy’s victory at the Honda Classic, which pushed him over the top to No. 1 in the World Rankings, golf now has a dynamic poster boy, who can perhaps help our withdrawal from Tigermania.

While Tiger reminded the world of his brilliance with a scintillating 8-under, 62 on the final day, it was Rory who dominated the tournament on every other level.

Hopefully Tiger continues to improve and give Rory a strong rival because it would be great for golf. Rory is taking a somewhat measured view of his number one ranking. At the media conference after the Honda Classic, he was asked, “How long do you think you can stay here?”

He answered: “I don't know, I mean, it depends on how I play.  I mean, hopefully I can stay here but it depends on how others play.  It really is‑‑ you don't‑‑ I'd like to stay there for a while.  I'm not sure how far above Luke I go now or what the point difference is, but as long as I keep playing good golf and have chances to win tournaments, then hopefully I'll stay up there.”

Unless Tiger turns into a Vijay Singh, who won big-time and played fabulous golf in his 40s, it looks like the next ten years will be the “Decade of Rory”. 

Let’s raise a toast to watching some phenomenal golf by this exceptional young Irishmen. If Tiger, Phil and others can give him some serious competition, we’re in for some fantastic golf viewing in the near future.