A Remember Where You Were Kind Of Day

Years from now, Sunday may be one of those 'remember where you were' moments when it comes to Rory McIlroy.

Greatness has been expected of him for years now and what he did over the final 39 holes of the Quail Hollow Championship delivered greatness. He was headed to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., for some early practice work before he eagled his 16th hole in the second round to make the cut on the number.

From there, as McIlroy said, the rest is history.

He made nine birdies Saturday shooting a 66 that could have been better then posted a 62 Sunday that could hardly have been better. Looking for the game's next superstar? He introduced himself Sunday at Quail Hollow.

McIlroy turns 21 on Tuesday but seems older. Not in his face but in his approach. He sees the big picture. According to the various stories I've read about McIlroy, his parents raised him well. He is polite, talkative and charming. He handled the champagne reception with Quail Hollow members flawlessly and seemed stunned when he checked his cell phone a few minutes later and discovered 58 text messages.

It's difficult to comprehend just how good McIlroy's Sunday performance was. It was a tough golf course, tough enough that Camilo Villegas shot 80 and Dustin Johnson shot 77. But McIlroy made it look benign.

After his eagle at 15, the one that basically won the tournament, McIlroy was in a fairway bunker at the 16th. After hitting his shot toward the green, McIlroy began walking out of the bunker without watching his ball land. Asked why, he sheepishly said, "I knew it was good."

It was beyond good. Sunday was beyond good. So is McIlroy.