McIlroy wants to show he's no one-off

:THE GOLFING world didn't stop spinning after Tiger Woods's dominance – which saw him win his 14 Major titles in a 12-year period – came to a stuttering halt. It just spewed out a succession of new first-time winners. But Rory McIlroy, the poster boy of golf's new order, yesterday insisted he didn't just want to be a "one-hit wonder."

As players continued to prepare their games for the 141st British Open here on the Lancashire coast, McIlroy – a record-breaking winner in claiming last year’s US Open title at Congressional, outside Washington DC – said: “It would be my biggest achievement in golf (to win on Sunday). To win that first Major was very important, and to move to world number one in the middle of the year was nice, but to win the Open championship and that second Major would definitely mean more to me than winning that first one.”

He expanded: “It will show people I am not a one-hit wonder and it will prove to myself I can win a number of them. Just to prove to myself and prove to other people I can be a multiple Major champion and, obviously, that’s what I want to be.”

McIlroy is part of an elite club of Major champions who have made their breakthrough since Woods won the last of his 14 titles in the 2008 US Open.

Indeed, the last multiple Major champion was Phil Mickelson, who won the 2010 US Masters. Since then, nine first-time champions have emerged: Graeme McDowell (2010 US Open), Louis Oosthuizen (2010 British Open), Martin Kaymer (2010 US PGA), Charl Schwartzel (2011 Masters), McIlroy (2011 US Open), Darren Clarke (2011 British Open), Keegan Bradley (2011 US PGA), Bubba Watson (2012 US Masters) and Webb Simpson (2012 US Open).

“It would be nice to get off that number a few guys are stuck on and then to be able to call myself a multiple Major winner,” conceded McIlroy, adding: “It’s a massive incentive for me to get off that number . . . I was excited going into St Andrews at the Old Course in 2010 because the Open there is always something very special but I have a really good feeling about this one.”

One man who doesn’t envisage McIlroy getting stuck with one win for too long is Pádraig Harrington, the last player to win back-to-back Majors when he followed up his 2008 British Open success by adding the US PGA title that season.

As Harrington put it: “Rory’s case is definitely different than other one-time Major winners. They’re put in the spotlight and it is incredible, a lot of different stresses on their time. You see a lot of guys with one Major and you find it hard to see a guy with two.

“In Rory’s case, he is under that spotlight anyway. He is unique in that it was no surprise that he won one and it won’t be a surprise when he wins two. The great thing is he won his first Major at 22 years of age, so he’s going to have many more Majors ahead of him.

“He’ll probably play for the next 25 years, four Majors a year, so he’ll get used to it and he’ll be comfortable in that position. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

And, suggesting the Woods era of dominance is unlikely to be repeated, Harrington remarked: “I think we were spoiled by Tiger winning 14 Majors (in 12 years). People began to think it was predictable . . . but it is probably not going to happen again.

“It’s a hard thing to do (dominating) and there are just too many good players out there now, too many guys with a good chance of winning that it’s hard for one player to win as prolifically as Tiger did.”

For his own part, Harrington – without a win on any of the main tours since his 2008 US PGA triumph – has shown in this season’s first two Majors, the Masters and the US Open, he is far from finished in his own quest to increase his tally of Major wins.

“I didn’t think he’d ever gone away,” said Harrington, speaking of himself in terms of being a Major contender.

“I look forward to the Majors. I find the Majors easier than regular events. I’m in good form and I’m in a good enough place (with his game) that it is about managing where my head is at going into this tournament.

“That’s where you want to be going into a Major. You don’t want to be here searching for your putting stroke or your swing or anything like that. You want to be turning up and getting your head in the right place for the week.”