By Dan Lorentz

Dan Lorentz working hard Thursday at the PGA Championship

Practice makes perfect

These words will not come close to describing what an amazing performance Mr. Rory McIlroy put on for the fans at the 94th PGA Championship, the season’s final Major, also known as Glory’s last shot.  When an individual rises to the occasion and puts on this kind of show, it can only be compared to some of the game’s greatest: Tiger at Pebble in 2000 winning the US Open by 15 strokes, Jack at the 65 Masters winning by 9 or Hogan at the ‘53 U.S. Open, beating Snead by 6. This kid is only 23 years old and is clearly the next great champion to come behind Tiger in our era of golf. Shooting 66 at Ocean on the final day and winning by eight shots is astonishing. The course setup was superb, the conditions were flawless and the players were on point. I was fortunate enough to talk to some of the game’s greats just after their rounds on Sunday as they watched Rory walk his way home to victory. Geoff Ogilvy was one of the first players I was able to ask about Rory. He said, “Rory is an amazing talent, just play a few holes with him and you clearly see that. The first half of this year he was ridiculous. He had three top-10’s in 10 events, that’s unheard of, like Tiger numbers. “ Geoff was one of the nicest tour pros I have ever spoken with, truly one of the good guys out there. Shortly after Geoff exited with his family I was able to pull Luke Donald aside for about five minutes. We discussed his game, his No. 1 world ranking, as well as his thoughts on the state of Rory’s game. He also had nothing but nice things to say about Rory, stating “He’s playing very well. As I said from the beginning, he is one of the most talented golfers I have ever seen.” I was careful not to stay on the topic too long and quickly moved on to how Luke felt the rest of his season was going to shape up. He was excited about the fall, saying, “We still have a lot to play for, we have the FedEx cup and then the Ryder cup. I have a lot to keep grinding on but I feel like my swing is where it needs to be and that I can be in the mix.” When all of the dust settled and Rory made his way over to the clubhouse for the champagne toast, you could feel the energy and excitement in the room.  With thanks given and acknowledgements thrown to all of the volunteers, PGA members and staff, he graciously put his glass in the air and sipped to victory. As he slid out the back door I had a chance to wish him congrats. Then, I watched him walk over to a special-needs kid.  To see him take the time to sign an autograph, take pictures and wish the boy’s family well only further solidifies what a well-rounded champion this young phenom has become. We exchanged congrats again and I watched him whisk off to celebrate with his team. This was one of the finest golf weeks of my life that I will not soon forget. A great course, an amazing staff of volunteers and a grand champion. My hat is off to you Rory McIIroy. Cheers!