Sky Sports.com - Masters 2008

McIlroy: learned a lot

At the Dubai Desert Classic, a superstar was born.

As I watched Rory McIlroy's run of five straight birdies from the ninth on the final day, I got the feeling I was watching somebody who is soon going to emerge as one of the best players in the world, if he isn't already.

But that final round was certainly a rollercoaster of emotions. He'd played so brilliantly for the first three days and the last thing you wanted to see was him throw it away - but he so nearly did.

He'd effectively won the tournament by establishing a six-shot lead, then he struggled around five, six and seven so on the back nine he had to win it all over again and that run of birdies put it back in his hands.

Then it seemed that somebody turned on the panic mode again with some poor club choices at 15 and 16, a poor tee-shot at 17 and coming up the last you wondered if this was going to be a disaster of Jean Van de Velde proportions.

I thought his lay-up at 18 was probably too close to the green, and to his horror he then he played it long and landed in the back trap.

But he managed to come up with a bunker shot that will undoubtedly win Shot of the Month and will be a contender for Shot of the Year. Anything over-hit would have gone in the water and the tournament would have gone to Justin Rose, but he came up with an absolute gem.

Learn

On reflection, if he had strolled through that last day and won by five or six shots he wouldn't have learned as much as he did by throwing those shots away. He now knows that when he is faced with the ultimate test he can come through it.

It was a fabulous victory, one that moves him into the top 20 in the world, and quite simply he has established himself as the best young player in the world of golf - potentially better than Camilo Villegas and Anthony Kim.

At just 19 years of age he is still getting stronger, fitter and is gaining length all the time. He seems to be 10 yards longer now than he was this time last year and I do love the way he swings a golf club.

He first came to my attention at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2007 when he needed to birdie the 18th to get enough money together to get his card. He managed to pull it off and I can't believe how far he has come since then.

Perhaps the comparisons with Tiger Woods are a little premature, but it was lovely to hear the words of Tiger's close friend Mark O'Meara. He has no reason to heap praise on McIlroy, but he said the Irishman swings the club better than Tiger did at the age of 19 - and that is a huge compliment.

He is the real deal, he's got the full package. His bunker play seems exceptionally good, his pitching is good and his long game is world class. He's also a charming, endearing young man off the course and his arrival on the world stage will be greatly appreciated.

If you were to be hyper-critical, the element of his game that he needs to master is playing out of the thick fringes around the greens; I think he can improve his technique playing out of the longer grass.

Greatness

It's hard to find any aspect of his game that is weak, but I'm sure Rory will be hyper-critical because he's not yet in the place he wants to be. This is a young man who is getting better but doesn't feel he is anywhere near his best and will leave no stone unturned in his pursuit of greatness.

He doesn't just want to be a tournament winner. He is a major champion in the making and if he addresses all of the facets he needs to achieve that then I can see him winning one by the age of 23 or 24. In fact, I'd be amazed if he isn't contending for majors this season.

I expect him to be a multiple winner this year and I genuinely believe he could win the Race to Dubai. This kid can hit all the shots, there's very little missing and I'm expecting big things from him.

And with the Ryder Cup back on the agenda again I can't see any way that Rory won't be in Colin Montgomerie's team at Celtic Manor. In fact, you can put your house on that.

So far, the school report for Rory McIlroy is simple: Best in Class.