This year’s scintillating quartet of major championships created a youthful moment in golfing history to inspire a sense of foreboding among the legion of admirers of the hapless Rory McIlroy.
While you’re still wondering how the Northern Irishman hasn’t ended his eight-year drought in the Majors while doing little wrong at all four in the competition, here’s a meaningful stat that suggests things aren’t getting any easier.
For the first time in a calendar year, all four big winners were in their 20s. Besides since the master Beginning in 1934, we find ourselves in an unprecedented streak of six different winners in a row, all under the age of 30.
Rory McIlroy agonizingly failed to end his eight-year wait for a major on Sunday
Cameron Smith produced a stunning final lap to oust McIlroy at St Andrews
To complete the picture, this does not include Jordan Spieth, Cameron Young, Sam Burns or Will Zlatoris.
In other words, it’s not just one or two outstanding young hot-shots shooting for McIlroy, who will be a month from his 34th birthday when the next major is played.
It’s a playground for them, and at least a few will definitely be playing their A games when each of the big four comes by.
All six majors in this amazing streak were fearlessly won by men significantly younger than McIlroy, and none of them look like much of a miracle.
From Jon Rahm at the US Open last year to Cam Smith on Sunday with Collin Morikawa (Open 2021), Scottie Scheffler (Masters 2022), Justin Thomas (US PGA 2022) and Matt Fitzpatrick (US Open 2022), there were a dazzling ones A collection of performances with not even a hint of throttling in sight.
McIlroy also watched Scottie Scheffler pick up the green jacket at the Masters this year
Meanwhile, Justin Thomas won the PGA Championship in dramatic fashion in 2022
Britain’s Matt Fitzpatrick also won his first major at the US Open at Brookline last month
Then there’s Young, Burns and Zalatoris, who, like Scheffler and Morikawa, are all just 25 or 26 years old. This is Young’s rookie season and he finished third in the PGA and second on Sunday.
Burns has won three times this season on the PGA Tour. Zulatoris has finished second in each of America’s three majors — and he’s only played 10 majors overall.
Because of this, McIlroy can’t afford a losing streak, although Sunday was one of them.
Look at the sad statistics and cry. He is the only known player who leads a major after 54 holes, usually hits all 18 greens in the last round – and still doesn’t win.
He’s also only the third player in the last half century to finish in the top eight in all four majors in the same season and not win any of them.
Resilience has been a grossly overlooked trait of McIlroy’s throughout his career, and he will need to demonstrate it once again to overcome this collective anti-climax.
McIlroy also has to be wary of young talent like Will Zalatoris (above).
Rickie Fowler finished in the top five in all four Grand Slam events in 2014 and look what happened to him. The same age as Rory, he didn’t even play at St Andrews.
Viewed from the half-full perspective of the glass, however, this was clearly a year of significant progress for McIlroy, who had barely fought in a major since his last win – and apparently suffered from demons at most of them.
The spectacular Final 64 at the Masters in April seemed to restore faith.
Sure, there was more than one or two angry shots at the US PGA that eventually took him down, but he’s no robot.
As for Sunday, it would have taken a heart of stone not to sympathize with him as countless putts stopped short of the hole or brushed the rim.
There have been four significant upgrades to McIlroy’s Armory that have helped tremendously in keeping him in the running every time.
McIlroy has been remarkably consistent this year but is still awaiting his fifth major
Returning to his youth coach Michael Bannon restored majesty to his riding style. Under the occasional watchful eye of former American Ryder Cup player Brad Faxon, his putting has improved beyond recognition.
So is his wedge game, where the rewards of endless practice on a par 3 course at his home club in Florida are evident.
The other big factor was working again with sports psychologist Bob Rotella.
The result is that McIlroy feels comfortable in a large environment for the first time in years.
The two punches he hit on Sunday’s infamous 17th were straight out of the top drawer in the most trying of circumstances.
He only had one day when the putts didn’t go in. As he said, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong, I just didn’t do enough things right.’
Next year’s majors look set up well for him. The US PGA is held at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York, his wife Erica’s hometown.
McIlroy’s attempt to end his majors’ drought doesn’t seem to be getting any easier next year
The Open returns to Hoylake, where McIlroy claimed his only claret jug to date in 2014.
He’s often compared to a younger Phil Mickelson, and let’s not forget that the highly decorated American, the same age as Rory, had amassed many near misses at Majors, but no wins, before winning six.
There’s not much McIlroy can do other than try to be patient.
On Sunday he had a pursuer in Smith doing things he’d never done before in his career. But that’s the problem.
A nervous and exciting corps of young players will continue to do such things in turn.
It’s now 261 days until the next major and it will feel like the clock is ticking for McIlroy, who is still on the list of four he amassed when he was the young man who had the world to call his own feet.
