PGA Tour has a fresh face....

There was a definite buzz at the Congressional Country Club this past weekend, a buzz that's been missing from golf for some time. A young golfer stormed the course to dominate all four days of the U.S. Open and ran away with his first major title. This young golfer built what turned out to be an insurmountable lead as he tied and broke multiple records.

As this 22-year old walked towards the 18^th green, the gallery started chanting his name, “Ror-eee! Ror-eee! Ror-eee!”

With a dominate performance, finishing 16-under, eight strokes better than runner-up Jason Day, Rory McIlcroy became the darling of the links. His incredible four day run not only won him the U.S. Open, but brought upon him expectations of being golf's next big thing.

The great thing for the PGA Tour is that for all the incredible shots and birdies, McIlroy's greatest accomplishment was taking the spotlight away from Tiger Woods and redirecting it onto the golf course. For more than a year, talking about golf and talking about Woods were one in the same.

Tiger Woods was golf.

Golf was Tiger Woods.

If Woods wasn't on the course, than golf wasn't happening. He became such a strong face of the PGA, that some wondered what would happen to the tournament once Woods left the game for good. Then along came this 22-year old Irishman with shaggy hair who ran away with his first major, but also captured the attention of anyone watching. Woods became a footnote. The debate around the water cooler on Monday was whether McIlory would become the next Tiger Woods.

It's too early to say. After all, this was McIllory’s first big victory. But regardless of what his future holds, he's exactly what the PGA needs right now.

Golf is to the point where most people could name the recent woman that Woods was alleged to have an affair with than they could who won the last major event. His personal life and emotional state became a bigger story than the game itself; no league wants that. The problem with the PGA, though, is that they had no one to redirect the spotlight. No one they could put on the front page of the paper to bring the focus back to the course.

Once Woods started golfing, the media tired of his personal life. The story became one of redemption. Could Tiger regain his form? Will he have that intimidation factor that made him the most feared golfers? Will he reclaim the number one ranking?

Perhaps most importantly of all, will Tiger be able to catch Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major wins?

The answer to many of these questions lie not with Woods' emotional state or mental condition or even his putting stroke. Rather, his future rests solely on his achy knees. It was those same knees that sidelined Woods and forced him to pass on the U.S. Open.

If the tournament had gone any other way, the discussion this week would be about how golf misses Woods. There's no way the game could ever be the same without the most dominate golfer.

Instead, Woods became a mere afterthought. McIlroy provided the story that many were expecting from Woods, the story of a man who hit bottom, but was able to climb back to the top.

McIlroy's first major win should have come at the Masters this year. He took the lead going into the final day, but slowly collapsed over the final 18 holes. At one point, one of his shots veered so far of course, it ended up in a neighborhood backyard. He looked like any other hacker you can find at a public course during the week. What set him apart from others in his situation was how he handled his collapse. He didn't blame his caddy, the weather, the clubs, or some mysterious injury. The defeat never seemed to get to him; he wasn't one to hang his head and mope. Despite throwing away the green jacket, he graciously congratulated winner Charl Schwartzel and vowed to get better. He won many fans with the way he handled himself after his defeat.

He gained even more with the way he won the U.S. Open.

He collapsed at the Masters and he came back in a big way with a scintillating 16-under performance. Woods was the one that was supposed to provide the come from behind story. Instead, young McIlory played the role and the gallery at Congressional and golf fans watching on TV were more than happy to root for him, even chanting his name.

“Ror-eee! Ror-eee! Ror-eee!”

While it's too early to proclaim McIlory “the next big thing,” he at least provides a refreshing face to the PGA tour. If his moment is only temporary, he serves as a reminder that the PGA tour will continue, with or without Tiger Woods. The rest of the summer can shift away from Woods' knee and pursuit for the record books and focus on McIlory and whether he can build upon his success of this past weekend.

Through defeat and victory, McIlory has shown to be an immensely likable young man, one who gives his interviews with a smile on his face. He doesn't have the victories of Woods, the endorsement deals, or his own brand and logo. Despite his skyrocketing popularity, McIlory doesn't quite have the legion of fans that Woods has.

What McIlory does possess is a future full of potential. With a smile on his face, McIlory has brought back a sense of youth and innocence to the tour. The fact that he may not be the next Tiger Woods should be no big deal. In fact, after a year of countless stories on Woods, perhaps golf doesn't need another Tiger Woods. It's a refreshing thought; one that Rory McIlory may be capable of carrying.