SANDWICH, England — The strong wind blowing Tuesday across Royal St. George’s was just another sign that the moonscape masquerading as a golf course on the English coast would offer a vastly different test than the one solved so easily by Rory McIlroy at the U.S. Open.
The British Open can be a puzzle, as McIlroy found out last year when he followed an opening 63 with a big, fat 80 when the wind started howling at St. Andrews. He was too young, it was too early, and someone else got their name on the claret jug.
Then came four days at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., that made people forget Tiger Woods isn’t playing much golf these days.
Now comes a week that might tell us as much about McIlroy as he found out about himself at the U.S. Open. A week that could answer the question of the past month: Just how good can McIlroy be? We already know the kid is the real thing. He proved that by taking a victory lap around Congressional on the final Sunday in an eight-shot rout that brought back visions of the way Woods used to toy with fellow competitors.
But will McIlroy win major championships in bunches? Will he dominate over time the way he dominated a few weeks back? History suggests not. Players who are truly great come along only once every era, and this era already has one. Sitting in a packed interview room Tuesday, though, McIlroy suggested yes.
“All I need to do is focus on my game, and, if I can do that, I know my good golf is good enough to win plenty more tournaments,” he said.
