What a Weekend!

RORY! On the verge of missing his third straight cut in what has been a frustrating year so far, 20-year-old Rory McIlroy on Friday hit a 206-yard 4-iron to six feet on the 7th hole (his 16th) to make eagle – and the cut on the number. Two days later, McIlroy, just two days shy of his 21st birthday, put the finishing touches on a magnificent 10-under 62 (32-20) to claim the Quail Hollow Championship by four strokes over Phil Mickelson. He also set a course record by two full strokes, going 5-under over the final five holes on one of the toughest closing stretches in professional golf. "It surpasses everything by a mile," McIlroy said after the round, which vaulted him into the international spotlight leading into this week's Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. By claiming what may well prove to be his breakthrough win, young Rory keeps alive the Whiffler's earlier prediction that he "by year's end will be regarded as the favorite to unseat Tiger (or possibly Phil) as the #1 player in the world." (Thanks, Rory.) (Image: Scott Halleran/Getty Images, via Golf.com.)

PHIL Speaking of Phil the Thrill, by finishing second, with a strong performance that likely would merited a win if not for Rory's heroics – and with Tiger ignominiously missing the cut by more than he missed some fairways – Mickelson put himself in position to claim the world #1 ranking for the first time in his career. With a win at the Players Championship, Phil would move into the top spot if Tiger finishes outside the top five. The way he looked on Friday, Tiger is about as likely to finish fifth or better as he is to give Elin a Mother's Day gift subscription to the National Enquirer.

TIGER By nearly all accounts, the world's top-ranked golfer did something on Friday's back nine no one had ever seen him do before: he quit. "He never gives up, never gives in, never gives out and never gives anything away. Until Friday," wrote SI's Gary Van Sickle. In shooting a miserable 43 (to go with a front-side 36 for a 79 total), Tiger's lack of effort was palpable. No one knows what was really going on inside his head, of course, but this would seem to lend credence to the Whiffler's theory that Tiger's on-course performance will suffer as long as his off-course life is in a state of upheaval. Many commentators point to Tiger's legendary focus when making the case that his golf game will bounce back readily, but the Whiffler thinks they're vastly underestimating how big a role inner peace can play.

RYO! Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa shot the lowest round ever recorded on a major professional golf tour: a 12-under 58. Though the course, the 6,545-yard Nagoya Golf Club in Togo, Japan, was not one you could argue was as tough a test as you would typically find on the PGA Tour, it was still an extremely impressive round. After all, it's not as if the rest of the field was anywhere near keeping pace. Ishikawa came from six strokes back on Sunday to win The Crowns by five. "I always dreamed of getting a score like this but didn't think I would do it so fast," he said. "It hasn't really sunk in yet, but I'm sure it will after a few days." His hair had no comment. (Image: AP/Kyodo News via examiner.com)

WHIFFLER! Not to toot my own horn or anything, but on Saturday morning, the Whiffler completed his first half-marathon (very slooooowly), at the 2nd Annual Illinois Marathon back in the Homeland. On Sunday, he played the beloved Orange Course (in a cart, duh) for the first time in years and nearly got that long-coveted 3 on the par-5 13th by hitting the pin from 65 yards out for a tap-in birdie. All in all, a very good weekend – both for young golfers and old bloggers. To God be the glory.