Memorial Tournament 2013: Is The Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy Showdown Coming Anytime Soon?

Sep 7, 2012; Carmel, IN, USA; Tiger Woods (left) and Rory McIlroy (right) talk on the 9th tee during the second round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 7, 2012; Carmel, IN, USA; Tiger Woods (left) and Rory McIlroy (right) talk on the 9th tee during the second round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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I was very excited after Tiger Woods won three tournaments last year. His game was back after almost five years of knee operations, and personal problems. My last great memories of Tiger were those of him limping around Torrey Pines at the 2008 US Open and rolling in that downhill 50 foot putt to tie Rocco Mediate and force an 18 hole Monday playoff for the Championship.

Then Rory McIlroy got hot after a stretch of missed cuts and totally dominated The PGA Championship at Kiawah Island in October. The young Ulstermen finished the 2012 season by winning the money title on both the PGA and European Tours, The Vardon Trophy, The Race To Dubai, blah, blah blah blah.

I couldn’t wait for the 2013 golf season to get underway fast enough. I spotted the first head to head Tiger/Rory matchup of the year, and circled my calendar for the “Duel in the Dessert” at Abu Dhabi. I really got excited after watching Rory being announced as the next Nike SuperStar in a ceremony that would rival Lebron James’ “Decision”, and seeing the new commercials of Tiger and Rory on the driving range hitting golf balls into windows and wedding cordials.

I knew that on Sunday, that I would see the two of them coming down the stretch, matching birdie for birdie in a duel that would rival a Watson/Nicklaus shoot out from the 70’s. Golf was finally back…I was ecstatic. Then Rory flopped, didn’t make the cut, and Tiger incurred a two shot penalty for an illegal drop(sound familiar?) and before I could get my TV turned on, they were both on their way home. They didn’t even make the weekend, let alone give me my much-anticipated Sunday Showdown.

Every time the two have been in the field together I have held out hope for that matchup. There has to be a Rory/Tiger Sunday Showdown coming….Right? Rory continues to struggle with his game. I am in agreement with a new writer here at Pro Golf Now, Trevor Reaske, who wrote a blog entitled Let’s Stop Blaming The Clubs For Rory McIlroy’s Struggles. His troubles seem to be more swing related than equipment malfunctions, but whatever the excuse, I am not getting my matchup.

I had put a lot of hope..again…on The Memorial, which teed off on Thursday at Muirfield Village. And before I could get to a computer to check on scores, Rory was finished with the first round, and had carded a 78. That’s six over par, and he stands a bigger chance of missing another cut than providing my matchup. Tiger struggled as well on Thursday, shooting one over par, and both are once again in danger of missing the cut.

At this writing, Tiger has finished his second round shooting 74 on Friday morning, and is also flirting with the cut line which is projected to be 1-2 over par. Rory has made a couple of birdies, but it’s looking like I might have to wait a little longer to see the two of them in a shootout. Maybe the US Open?

As the editor at Pro Golf Now which is part of the FanSided Network I wanted to take a minute here and welcome some new exciting writers to the team.

Elizabeth Bethel will be primarily covering events on the LPGA Tour, and is a huge Stacy Lewis fan. She is a member of The Golf Community at Google+, and has been known to express her opinion about all aspects of golf.

Trevor Reaske is also an exciting writer who I have linked to one of his posts above. He has a tremendous grasp about what is going on in the world of golf, and is more than willing to share it with golf fans around the world.

Erik Catalan has joined the staff and told me he likes to write about golf equipment. His perspective on the subject includes advice when you are buying clubs, balls, or tees. His most recent article begs you to test drive clubs before you buy them, and how. It is entitled: Before you buy golf equipment, Take a test drive. Be sure to check in with Erik before you buy, and don’t be afraid to use the comment system for questions.

Follow me on Twitter @Spin_47 and at Google + in the Golf Community