Rory McIlroy names 'unbeatable' rival who matched Tiger Woods feat, but ultimately 'flopped'

Rory McIlroy has admitted his astonishment at the lack of success former golf whizz-kid Kyle Porter has had in his career, despite showing promise as a teenager by equalling a record set by Tiger Woods.

McIlroy, from Northern Ireland , is one of only three players to have won four major championships before turning 25. However, his American counterpart Porter didn't reach such heights, even though he equalled Woods' achievement of winning four Junior World Golf Championships before turning pro.

Porter, a much-anticipated star from Scottsdale, Arizona, made his PGA Tour debut in 2007 but didn't make the cut in his first three events.

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In addition to underperforming at the Jude Championship, John Deere Classic and US Bank Championship, the now 34-year-old also battled injuries early in his career.

Reflecting on their rivalry, McIlroy acknowledged that Porter was a formidable opponent during their teenage years. Speaking to Normal Sport, he revealed: "He was from Scottsdale, Arizona. I finished second and third to him all of my teenage years."

"Like, you just could not beat this guy. He went to UCLA (University of California Los Angeles ), he continued, highlighting Porter's dominance on the course. "He won the US Junior, I think. He won the US Junior Am and I thought this kid was unbeatable'."

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Porter managed to make the cut at the 2008 John Deere Classic, but that was the only time he achieved this in his six PGA tour appearances. He hung up his clubs in 2015, later confessing to A Life in Golf: "I started losing some passion for the game in college."

He elaborated on his struggles with the sport, saying, "I started to become very technical with my golf swing and that led me down a dark path of not enjoying the same game I grew up loving. My old coach taught me there is a lot more to life than chasing a white ball being hit around a golf course."

In a chat with Normal Sport, Rory McIlroy tipped his hat to Ollie Fisher and Jamie Lovemark as two talents he thought would soar in golf. The Northern Irishman remarked: "If you would have asked anyone 20 years ago... everyone would have said Ollie Fisher was probably going to go on to have a better career than I've had."

He went on to compliment Lovemark's physical prowess, noting, "You just look at him, you're like, this guy is like 6'4 and absolutely ripped and swings the club perfectly," before concluding with a reflection on the unpredictability of the sport: "I don't know. There's so many intangibles in golf that some guys looked like world leaders at an early age."

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