When Rory McIlroy, of Holywood, Northern Ireland, returns to Augusta for the 2012 Masters, he will thankfully come bearing a new, more fitting distinction - that of U.S. Open Champion.
On Father's Day, McIlroy completed a record-breaking performance at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md., to win the 116-year-old national championship of the United States, helping erase the memory of his Masters leader board tumble and effectively eclipsing any doubt that his disappointing Masters Sunday had impacted his promising professional career.
Entering the final round at the 2011 Masters with a four-stroke lead, McIlroy faded with a fourth-round 80 after three days of stunning golf.
"Hopefully the next time I'm in this position I'll be able to handle it a little better," he said just minutes after his round. "It was a character-building day, put it that way. I'll come out stronger for it."
Fast-forward to this past week's U.S. Open. Amid questions of his ability to make good on his prediction, McIlroy silenced all cynics and proved that he stands tall amongst the immense amount of young talent that exists on the global golfing scene today.
"I had a clear picture in my mind of what I needed to do and where my focus needed to be when I got myself in that position again," he said. "To be able to finish it off the way I did, it just tells me that I learned from it and I've moved on. Now I've got this, I can go ahead and concentrate on getting some more."
With memories of his finish at the Masters behind him - an astounding 16-under-par performance at a U.S. Open always helps - McIlroy will set his sights on the upcoming Open Championship at Royal St. George's in July.
