Future is looking up for U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy’s friends didn’t hesitate to kid him about his troubles in last year’s Masters Tournament.

Holding a one-shot lead as he stepped to the No. 10 tee in the final round, McIlroy proceeded to hook his tee ball into the cabins, a shot which led to triple bogey and a free-falling round of 80.

Afterward, his friends didn’t console him.

“The friends I have are the same friends I’ve had growing up my whole life,” McIlroy said.

“They can give me grief and they can send me pictures of being lost in white houses left of the (tee) at Augusta, and it’s fine.

“That’s what you need after something like that. You need someone to have a little bit of a sense of humor and make you laugh.”

The gregarious 22-year-old Northern Irishman shrugged off the Masters meltdown with a dominating performance at the U.S. Open. McIlroy’s fans multiplied, and he now has galleries rivaling those of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

McIlroy’s followers watched him hold steady in the final round of The Honda Classic last month, holding off a late charge from Woods to become the No. 1 player in the world.

“It was always a dream of mine to become the world No. 1 and the best player in the world or whatever you want to call it,” McIlroy said. “But I didn’t know that I would be able to get here this quickly. It’s taken a little bit of time, but you know, it’s fantastic to be here at the minute, and hopefully I can hold onto it for a little longer.”

McIlroy lost his top spot two weeks later when Luke Donald won the Transitions Championship, but a win this week would cement McIlroy’s place atop golf. In three previous Masters appearances, he has sandwiched a missed cut with a pair of top-20 finishes. Last year, he opened with rounds of 65-69-70 but ended in a tie for 15th place.

“That whole last day of the Masters is sort of a blur,” he said. “Everything happened so quickly.”

McIlroy said he got caught up in the situation.

He entered Sunday with a four-shot lead, attempting to win his first major, thinking he needed to act like Woods in the final round.

“I think growing up watching Tiger all those years win those majors, he gives out this aura where everything is just so focused. It’s like, ‘I’m going to rip your head off’ on that first tee,” McIlroy said.

“I quickly found out that isn’t me, and that isn’t how I play my best golf.”

When he watched Masters highlights, McIlroy noticed something else that helped him cruise to an eight-shot win at the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club. On the final nine at Augusta, he kept his head down most of the time. At the U.S. Open, McIlroy changed his whole demeanor.

“That’s something I really focused on,” he said. “And even just having good body language, it subconsciously gives you that little bit of confidence.”