A couple weeks ago, I blogged about Japanese phenom Ryo Ishikawa and wondered if he could become the long-awaited challenger to Tiger Woods.
Ishikawa didn't make the cut at the Northern Trust Open, but hopefully the 17-year old got the nervousness of playing on the big stage out of his system in L.A. and will be able to play his best at next month's Masters.
As the PGA Tour heads east this week to the Honda Classic, we will get the chance to see another teenage wunderkind, Rory McIlory.
McIlroy, a 19-year old from Northern Ireland, is already much more accomplished than Ishikawa. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the Match Play Championships last week, and won the Dubai Desert Classic last month.
Last month, I spoke with skepticism about Ishikawa because he hasn't proven he has the ability to win on the big stage, but McIlroy already has. To make the quarterfinals of the Match Play, and win a tournament like Dubai (which attracts one of the top fields of any Euro Tour event), shows that McIlroy is ready for primetime.
His solid play at the British Open in '07 further shows that McIlroy might have what it takes.
My only hope is that McIlroy plays stateside as much as possible. The European Tour is good, but McIlroy needs to start playing against Tiger on a week-by-week basis, which will be a little easier now that Tiger is back from injury.
So far, McIlroy's only major action came at the '07 Open, but that will all change this year, starting with next month's Masters, which to borrow a line from Brent Musberger, should be a "dandy."
The next few weeks kick off preparation for the tradition unlike any other; I know Tiger will be ready for Augusta, and I'm hoping McIlroy will be too.
