Writers Rushing To Rory's Defense In His Time Of Imperfection!

My tooth hurts reading these moving defenses of Rory McIlroy and a sense of unease envelopes me as I sit at my glass desk, but I can't figure out why?

Anyway, The Scotsman's Martin Dempster offers the most level-headed defense of the club hurler against charges that the World No. 1 gets a free pass while Tiger Woods would be villified if he ever threw a club in a lake.

For starters, the 25-year-old was immediately self-deprecating. He knew he shouldn’t have done it, held up his hands and injected some humour as he was questioned about what had happened. It was exactly the way the matter needed to be handled, even though there has been whining from some of our American cousins about how the reaction would have been different if Tiger Woods had been at the centre of such an incident when he was world No 1.

Unlike Woods, McIlroy doesn’t have a history of inappropriate behaviour on the golf course. He doesn’t spit on greens and shows a more human side to youngsters – the ones who need to be influenced at a time when the game is fighting with other sports and pastimes more than ever – than Woods has done at any time in his career.

I’m not saying Rory is an angel. He’s made mistakes and will make more in years to come. It’s nonsense to suggest, though, that what he did in a fit of pique on Friday is harmful for golf.

Derek Lawrenson was more blunt in his assessment of American journalists suggesting there was a double standard.

Sections of the American press are wondering why Rory McIlroy was given a largely free pass for tossing his three-iron into the water last week while the criticism that would have followed Tiger Woods, if he’d done it, ‘would have blown up the internet’.

So let’s see if we can explain the difference. At the age of 25 Woods never engaged with spectators, rarely signed autographs, was frequently seen spitting on the side of greens and treated the press with barely concealed contempt.

McIlroy acknowledges the crowds, devotes hours of his time to signing autographs and spends way longer than he needs trying to give an insight to the media. Reap what you sow, it’s called.

So remember kids: give good press conference, don't spit, sign a few autographs and you can act like a child and be loved. Got that Sergio (in non-Ryder Cup years) and Tiger?

With nearly 1000 votes, 85% of you said Tiger would have been villified had he committed a similar offense.