To A Tee: Pay attention to McIlroy, not the ranking

Last Sunday, needing a win at the WGC- Accenture Match Play Championship to become No. 1 in the world, Rory McIlroy faltered.

It's not exactly the easiest tournament to win, and McIlroy made it to the final after defeating Lee Westwood in the semis.

But he couldn't keep up with Hunter Mahan, losing the match and a chance to rise to the top of the rankings for the first time. Afterward, McIlroy admitted he prepared himself mentally for a match against Westwood, and it was symbolic, in a way, that the 22-year-old somehow wasn't ready to become No. 1.

A week later, everything sure looks different, doesn't it?

If it's symbolism you're looking for, Sunday's final round had plenty of it. Not only did McIlroy become the No. 1 player in the world by closing out his win at the Honda Classic, he did so while Tiger Woods made a stunning run up the leaderboard and only a week removed from his match play setback.

Woods fired an eight-under 62 on Sunday, the lowest final round in his PGA Tour career. Following an eagle putt at the 18th, Woods was only one shot behind McIlroy, who said he hadn't paid much attention to the former world No. 1 until that shot.

"I heard the huge roar and it definitely wasn't a birdie roar," McIlroy said. "That's when I knew that he probably got to [10-under]."

But McIlroy didn't get rattled, sinking a 10-footer for birdie at the 13th to move to 12-under. He made some nice saves to par out down the stretch and earn the victory, along with the top ranking that came with it.

McIlroy has been on big stages before, with varying success.

At last year's Masters, he held the third-round lead before carding a closing 80 and finishing in a tie for 15th. Two months later, the Northern Irishman won the U.S. Open by eight shots.

Last week, McIlroy blew his chance to become the No. 1 player. This week, he didn't let the opportunity pass him by.

As victories go, it was strong. It's not every Sunday that the PGA Tour winner can claim to have held off one of the best players in history to earn the top ranking. McIlroy said the victory was more meaningful because of Woods and because of how he played down the stretch.

"It was great to get the job done today," McIlroy said. "I knew going out there the conditions would be tough, and I was just trying to make as many pars as possible, and you know, when a few opportunities presented themselves, I tried to take them."

Having held off Woods, having earned the victory, having ascended with the flourish of Sunday's win, McIlroy is now No. 1.

And I have to ask, is the difference between last week and this one so great that he can now be accepted as No. 1?

There is a formula that determines the top player in the world, of course, and nobody's opinion is going to change the rankings. But people tend to be a lot more subjective when they throw around labels like "top-ranked player." The attempt to quantify it is nice, but the formula can lead to underwhelming No. 1s who might be consistent yet aren't dominant.

So, where does McIlroy stand? Is he worthy of his ranking?

Sunday might have gone a long way in swaying people's opinions. Had he blown the chance, just a week removed from a runner-up finish, it could have been considered more evidence of a lack of a killer instinct.

In reality, McIlroy is, at 22, a young and extremely talented golfer who has failed in a few big spots and succeeded in others. He's No. 1 because he's almost always in the mix to win, has earned a handful of titles, and very rarely performs poorly. He's benefited from experience, and he'll probably win a lot more in the coming years.

And some years from now, we'll be able to look back on Rory McIlroy's career and assess it properly. But if we devote too much time to judging whether or not McIlroy is worthy of his title, if we pay too much attention to the coronation and not enough to how he got the crown, we might miss a lot of good golf.