Rory McIlroy's stunning US Open triumph at the Congressional hints at true greatness in the coming years.

Abhishek Mehrotra

Not since Tiger Woods himself burst on to the scene with a record 12-stroke win at the Augusta Masters in April 1997 has a youngster evoked such excitement from fans of the game.

When Jack Nicklaus gushes about a player, you know you've got someone special on your hands.

"I think this kid's going to have a great career - I don't think there's any question about it," said the Golden Bear after McIlroy's win.

"He's humble when he needs to be humble and confident when he needs to be confident. I like his moxie - he's cocksure and I like that. You've got to have that."

Nicklaus' words are in many ways reminiscent about the vote of confidence the late Sir Donald Bradman gave Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. The Australian behemoth, the best batsman to ever play the game, said Tendulkar's batting style resembled his own.

It takes genius to recognise genius. Praise that might appear mere platitudes when uttered by others becomes a serious compliment when given by someone of Nicklaus' stature.

McIlroy's triumph could not have come at a better time for golf. With Woods still groping for the magic that for so many years was seemingly at his command and none of the other big names really managing to capture the imagination - there has been something of a vacuum at the top of the game.

The upside to that has obviously been increased competition - with prediction of the next Major winner becoming increasingly difficult. But every individual sport needs a locus - a player who can attract the fans and around whom the big stories can revolve.

Before Rafael Nadal was around, Roger Federer did that for tennis through the early and mid-2000s. To a certain extent, Michael Schumacher did it for Formula 1 with Ferrari. People who had never followed these sports before began doing so - simply because it was easy to appreciate the genius of these guys without knowing the technicalities.

And it's not just a question of attracting legions of supporters. The continuing popularity of a sport depends as much on having someone to root against as it does on having someone to root for. 

There is a certain breed of fan who likes to go against the grain. He sees everyone at the bar rooting for Schumacher and he wants David Coulthard to win. He sees people drooling over Federer's forehand and he wants Andy Roddick to triumph. Having an overwhelming favourite implies there's an overwhelming underdog - and the underdog always attracts our fancy.

If McIlroy goes on to dominate the game like Federer, Schumacher or Woods did - his fame will attract two sets of fans - those who are desperate for him to win and those who're desperate for anyone but him to win.

That's a powerful emotion to tap into. Powerful enough to bring back those peripheral fans who had wandered away with Woods' (still reversible) decline. McIlroy now has it in him to reignite a game that seemed to be foundering a bit.

It's a lot to ask of a 22-year-old who has just won his first Major, but McIlroy has showed himself to be graceful under immense pressure - first when he faced harsh media scrutiny after his Masters meltdown in April and later when he entered the final round of the US Open on Sunday knowing another failure would mean even more question marks about his temperament.

And now that he has banished whatever doubts there were, we can look forward to a new era.

Now, if only Woods could get back to his best. A pitched battle between the Master and the young upstart would be one to savour for years.