US Masters 
/ Romilly Evans / 04 April 2012 / Leave a Comment 
McIlroy and Woods - a burgeoning rivalry
"McIlroy is more settled both professionally and personally. He's learned to trust his ability under the gun. This time round he won’t panic if he lets a stroke or two slip away."
Romilly Evans discusses the showdown between Masters favourites Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Does our man believe that an outsider could upset the odds?
A few months ago, many hacks were saying there was no way back for Tiger Woods and no stopping Rory McIlroy. Now, as the US Masters looms in to view, most of those same hacks are saying the only man who can stop Rory McIlroy is Tiger Woods. Golf can be a fickle game - and it seems to have fostered a press corps which reflects its very nature.
The truth, of course, is that Tiger has been on the way back for a while. All you had to do was look at his steadily improving game since the back-end of last year and the progress reports. Admittedly, the progress reports from the great man himself were subjective, but his fellow pros and practice partners all suggested he was on the verge of something great.
Those players included Arjun Atwal, Robert Allenby, Ernie Els and even Phil Mickelson - expert witnesses for the defence. All Woods needed was a win. And after a couple of near-misses, it came a fortnight back at Bay Hill where he blitzed a stellar field by five shots. The prosecution's case quickly folded and Woods was acquitted on charges of masquerading as the game's greatest.
Tiger was free to roam around his natural habitat of Augusta National. He was even re-installed as a firm favourite (currently available at [6.2] to back). However, a return to the good old days among these green Georgia pastures is by no means assured. The golfing landscape has changed and that's largely due to the emergence of McIlroy ([7.4] to back) a successful and hungry predator who has been stealthily stalking, waiting on the return of a healthy Tiger.
This time last year, McIlroy still had much to prove. His final-round implosion at Augusta was one of the biggest falls from grace in Masters history - and even left him languishing outside the top-ten. Rather than an Aladdin on the threshold of The Cave of Wonders, he was a young street rat struggling for survival and composure.
After the breakdown, though, came the breakthrough. And it arrived in quite spectacular fashion with his crowning procession at Congressional, leading from flag-fall to win by eight shots. The wunderkind had grown up. He hasn't looked back since, winning twice and finished no lower than third in nine of his last 12 events. His win at the Honda Classic, where he coolly staved off a charging Woods even handed him the number one ranking - making him its second-youngest incumbent (at 22) behind Tiger (21).
True, Luke Donald has borrowed top-dog status in the interim (as McIlroy took his now annual sabbatical to prepare for the Masters). But like Easter weekend itself, it's only lent. And speaking of Easter weekend, there can be no ignoring its propensity for comebacks from the dead. McIlroy, for his part, now has to deal with the Tiger's second coming. Not that the Ulsterman sounds concerned. "It's great for the game. I want to test myself against the best, at their best. And for me, that means going down the stretch with Tiger." Bring it on.
Of course, Woods' renaissance does provide the neat side-effect of deflecting some of the attention away from McIlroy. "I'm going in with a lot more scrutiny because of what happened last year," he continued. "It's just something that I'll have to deal with but Tiger's win certainly helps." In any case, McIlroy is a totally different proposition this term after a milestone 2011 campaign. He is more settled both professionally and personally and has learned to trust his ability under the gun. This time round he won't panic if he lets a stroke or two slip away.
Nevertheless, Woods remains the consummate and proven major performer with four Green Jackets and numerous close shaves. Which is probably why he can afford to sound the more phlegmatic of the pair. "Listen, I've gone into Augusta with wins and without wins. You're looking for one week, that's all. I understand how to play Augusta National. It's just a matter of executing the game plan."
That said, Tiger hasn't executed his gameplan since the 2008 US Open, marooned on 14 majors - four short of Jack Nicklaus' record haul. Time was when passing that mark was simply a matter of time. Now the man with time on his side isn't Woods but McIlroy. Tiger's very urgency could be the one thing that undoes his challenge this week.
Does that leave the door ajar for McIlroy? Well, yes and no. The trouble with contests billed as two-horse races is that a dark horse often arrives to spoil the party. Take this year's Gold Cup for example, a supposed straight duel between Kauto Star and Long Run. The result: one pulled up, the other finished third. Phil Mickelson, who can lay claim to the best course form of anyone in the field, is always a threat and will be popular with those who like to back the outsider of three. Then there's the small matter of the other 94 runners, many of whom are decidedly in-form.
However, what is for certain is that fans can rejoice in a burgeoning new rivalry that we looked set to miss out on. The express train to major greatness had asked Tiger to hop off at Platform 14 and picked up Rory in his place. It was a sliding doors moment. Praise be that the driver had a change of heart and let Tiger back on. Next stop: Augusta.
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