I like all sports. This includes what some may consider to be “boring.”

This includes golf, and I will challenge anyone who disagrees to fisticuffs. That’s right. FISTICUFFS.

Watch out…

OK, I’ll relent from these fierce fighting words a little bit. There are large stretches that are dull and slow. I admit to doing other things when golf is on the TV and my mom, who actually loves golf, likes to turn it on in the afternoon if she is going to take a nap.

However, the final round of the Masters Tournament was a completely different story. At one point there were five people tied for the lead. Tiger Woods made a comeback of sorts and was in the mix. It was very entertaining.

It also helped that the scores were pretty low. I enjoy watching them play well. If I wanted to see someone slice a ball sharply to the right into every tree on the earth, I’d watch
myself play.

There was a struggle much like this on Sunday. I’m talking about 21-year-old Rory McIlroy.

He had a four-stroke lead heading into Sunday at -12. He went on to shoot a final round 80 and finished at -4 well behind the winner, Charl Schwartzel. He was shaky the whole day, but it finally went bad when he triple bogeyed the 10th hole.

He couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t drive and he couldn’t putt. He even tried to hit with an umbrella and forgot to wear shoes. OK that last part isn’t true, but seriously it was rough.

I felt bad for him especially in the context of his previous two major outings in the PGA and British Open Championships.

In the British Open, he had a round of 80 that kept him from winning. At the PGA, he was close to a playoff with Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer when he three-putted a hole that dropped him out.

He has been so close, but he just can’t close the deal. It reminds me of Greg Norman who took choking to an absolutely ethereal level.

He was really good at coming up short for most of his career despite being very talented, so I hope we don’t see the same thing with McIlroy.

Even with his collapse and the gnarly way that he did it, he had a good attitude afterwards. He did every interview and called it a learning experience. He didn’t seem bitter at all. His professionalism is even more impressive considering how young he is.

Sure, during the match you could see that he wasn’t having the best time, but who does when they’re struggling? If you look at anyone studying for a law exam, you’ll see plenty of grimaces, I assure you.

In the interviews, he should have been rather petulant and upset, but instead he was smiling and forward-looking. This is impressive given that millions of people were watching his collapse. I can’t imagine being watched by that many people in a time of struggle.

I have a hard time doing anything with even one person watching me. For instance, if somebody even watched me brush my teeth, I’d probably freak out and cover my face with toothpaste and shame. He just took it in stride, though I doubt he was feeling as happy on the inside.

Oh, and another thing, remember that he is 21! I think he is allowed to have some struggles. Am I right college students? I don’t think our age group’s decision making is state-of-the-art.

Despite his struggles, he still shot -4 at the Masters. How many people his age get to be one of the best in their field?

Anyway, this is the type of athlete that is easy to root for. A guy, who despite his struggles, still plans on pushing forward with a good attitude. Tiger Woods, even before his proclivities, was always a gruff guy who I didn’t really root for.

Sure, he’s a great player, but I’m not and never was concerned with how he did.

With McIlroy, I want him to win and he will someday. With his talent and attitude, he’ll be hard to beat. He just needs to be confident on Sundays.