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It's Rory McIlroy who annoys me.

Every Major, the press build him up, he is all over the media saying how well he is going to do and how excited he is ..... and he inevitably does nothing at all, fading away without a whimper.

He has 'only' won 4 Majors, so (in tennis terms) he is the equivalent of Guillermo Vilas or Carlos Santana. Nowhere near an all time great.

The problem is that nobody at that level in any other sport could possibly be worth £140million. There is too much money in golf.

How can a 30 year old, with that much money in the bank, stay hungry for success. What would make him put in the long lonely hours of practice? How motivated can someone like McIlroy be when - after another dismal failure in a big tournament - he can get on his private jet and go home to count the millions he will still make through sponsorship etc? The press still fawn all over him, so what's the incentive to get better.

Thats why I admire the likes of Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. In the face of adulation, success and money beyond their wildest dreams they retained that hunger (love/obsession) for their sport, and that is what makes them great.

Rory is ruined by his smaller measure of success.


Rory's been a disappointment for sure. I'd say the same thing about Sergio Garcia. To be sure, I also admire the likes of Federer and Woods. Difference is I like Federer the human being, whereas I severely dislike Woods.

I should add that it's not just Federer and Woods that are worthy of admiration in their respective sports for the reasons you've described. You've got Nadal and Djokovic near the very top... and in golf I'd have to say there's a handful of guys who look like they're on their way to alltime greatness.

Federer to me is the epitome of how you can be an all time great, maybe even a GOAT... and still retain the decency and humility that characterizes good human beings.