Rory McIlroy is Europe's top young player and has all the tools to be the next star in the world of pro golf.

At age 21, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy is making his mark on the PGA tour and is one of Europe's best players entered in the U.S. Open. He has yet to play a competitive round at Pebble Beach, but he hadn't played Quail Hollow either prior to winning his first title on American turf a month ago. Rory's playing partner for the first two rounds will be his teenage buddy Ryo Ishikawa who shot a 58 in his Japan homeland to win a tournament hours before McIlroy did his magic at Quail Hollow. The other player in the trio teeing off Thursday is legendary Tom Watson who is having a career revival at age 60. Watson, whose chip in from the rough on #17 won the 1982 Open at Pebble...had the British Open lead last year until the final hole.