Tiger Woods said it was fun watching Rory McIlroy run away with the US Open this year and feels the Northern Irishman is a better player than he was at the tender golfing age of 22.
|Last Updated: Jun 29, 2011, 11:57 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Pennsylvania: Tiger Woods said it was fun watching Rory McIlroy run away with the US Open this year and feels the Northern Irishman is a better player than he was at the tender golfing age of 22.
"That was pretty good, wasn`t it? That was some seriously good playing," Woods told reporters at the AT&T National PGA event he is hosting this week at Aronimink.
McIlroy set a number of US Open scoring records en route to an eight-shot win on June 19 that recalled Woods`s 12-shot triumph at the 1997 Masters as a 21-year-old and the American`s 15-shot win at the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach.
"In 1997 when I was, what, 21, granted I had some success, but I didn`t like my golf swing. That`s why I changed it," the 14-time major winner said when asked to compare himself to McIlroy. "I felt like at the same age, his swing is definitely better than mine was at the same age.”
"But in `99 my swing came together and I had a pretty good next two years," Woods said about a period in his career that produced the so-called `Tiger Slam` in which he held all four major championship titles at the same time.
"He needs to obviously continue working on it and continue getting better. And he`s still young ... so it`s fun to see someone who`s of that age play the way he did and handle himself the way he did after Augusta," Woods added, referring to the Masters in April when McIlroy squandered a four-stroke lead in the final round.
"Hey, we`ve all fallen, we`ve all made mistakes and played poorly and lost tournaments ... It`s fun to see someone apply what they`ve learned and succeed while doing it."
Woods said he was impressed by how McIlroy, now world number three, kept playing aggressively at Congressional despite holding a big lead."It was cool to see that he had softer conditions and he was able to go low but also was able to continue pushing it, and that`s what`s fun. When you have a lead to keep building on it and keep pushing," said Woods."That was very impressive playing. To do that at a US Open, to be that aggressive the entire time, that was cool to watch."
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.