Rory McIlroy’s youth, dominance and charisma invite comparisons with the Tiger Woods of 1997. But, Helen Ross says, McIlroy's record-setting victory might have signaled a changing of the guard as well. Rory McIlroy channeled his idol so well that the other 71 players who made the cut knew in their hearts early on that they were playing for second. (Getty Images) By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents BETHESDA, Md. -- When Rory McIlroy was a kid, he used to stand over putts on the practice green back home at Holywood Golf Club and tell himself he had to make that 5-footer to beat Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open. When the time to win his first major championship finally came for the 22-year-old Northern Irishman on Sunday, though, the ailing Woods was nowhere to be found. At least not at Congressional Country Club, where McIlroy was busy shattering 12 records and winning the U.S. Open by a jaw-dropping eight shots. His youth, his dominance and his charisma still invited the obvious comparisons with Woods, who was 20 when he won the 1997 Masters by an even dozen and turned the world of golf upside down. But McIlroy's parallel universe may have signaled a changing of the guard as well. After all, the last four majors have now been won by players in their 20s. He's the youngest, of course. But Charl Schwartzel was 26 when he birdied the last four holes to win the Masters two months ago, Martin Kaymer just 25 when he took the 2010 PGA Championship in a playoff and Louis Oosthuizen the old man at 28 when he rocked the even Old(er) Course at St. Andrews last year. Woods inspired these players when they were kids -- just as he was driven by Jack Nicklaus' records. They watched the fearless way he attacked a golf course. They saw him never back down from a challenge. And that's exactly what McIlroy did this week at Congressional as he put the memories of his Masters meltdown to bed and embarked on a grand new day. "(I was) just trying to go out there with the same intensity that he has, and the same (feeling that) no lead is big enough," McIlroy said. "... I was trying to go out and trying to make no mistakes, and really not give anyone a chance to catch me." McIlroy channeled his idol so well that the other 71 players who made the cut knew in their hearts early on that they were playing for second. But Schwartzel and Oosthuizen were both on the leaderboard at the end of 72 holes on Sunday, the two buddies from South Africa working their way into a tie for ninth with rounds of 66 and 67, respectively. And don't forget Jason Day, the 23-year-old Aussie who has finished second in the last two majors and tied for 10th at last year's PGA Championship. McIlroy, who turned pro at 18 and won on the European Tour two years later, has long been shouldering great expectations. But he said Sunday that seeing his good friend Graeme McDowell win the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach last year made him realize he could do it, too. Apparently, he was not alone. "Then Louis won at St. Andrews, and then Martin won at Whistling Straits, and then I got myself in a good position at the Masters, and then obviously now," McIlroy said. "... To see a great friend like (Graeme) win a major, it only inspires you. It inspires you to go out and emulate them. And funny enough, I was able to do that this week." RELATED CONTENT --Hauser: Comparing and contrasting Woods and McIlroy --Masters champ impressed but not surprised by McIlroy McDowell said the probablility of back-to-back U.S. Open winners from Northern Ireland is akin to a "lottery number." But like McIlroy, he understands how it can happen, and he sees how the game has changed. "The flood gates open, South Africans start winning nearly back to back with Louis and Charl and what with (Padraig) Harrington about four or five years ago and Europeans started stepping up," McDowell said. "It's just watching your colleagues and friends and guys you play with week in and week out and doing things like that gives people the belief." McDowell left a note of encouragement in McIlroy's locker Sunday morning. What golf course are you playing, he wrote, needling his buddy. And then McDowell turned serious, telling his friend -- whom he later called simply "best I've ever seen" -- to keep on keeping on at Congressional in the final round. "He's a breath of fresh air for the game and perhaps we're ready for golf's next superstar and maybe Rory is it," McDowell said. But Woods, who was recently photographed on crutches with a boot protecting his problematic left knee and Achilles, won't surrender that title willingly. Nor did Nicklaus, who made us realize how abundant his talent and enduring his legacy was when he won his 18th major at Augusta National at the age of 46. For years, though, Woods has chased that major championship record and as dominant as the the 35-year-old has been, he is still four in arrears. Harrington suggested earlier this week that McIlroy might actually be the one to eclipse Nicklaus, who has taken a special interest in the 22-year-old who has the kind of "moxie" with which the Golden Bear can identify. "I think this kid is going to have a great career," Nicklaus said on Sunday. "... He has a lot of people rooting for him. He's humble when he ought to be and confident when he needs to be." Like last week at Congressional. But let's apply some perspective here. The U.S. Open was McIlroy's first major win and just his third victory overall. That's a long way to Nicklaus's 18 and 73, and McIlroy knows it. Let's let him enjoy this for at least another few weeks before the British Open consumes our consciousness. "Eighteen wins, let alone 18 majors, is never an easy task," said Y.E. Yang, who played beside McIlroy during the last two rounds. "It's easy to talk about it, but it's not easy at all. And while he is thriving to get better and probably surpass Jack's record, it's going to take a lot of time for Rory, as well. "And while he's doing that, there are going to be more Rory McIlroys coming out to the scene, and he's going to be in a position, like I was today, probably in the next few years." And so the cycle continues, and the game is richer for it.