Exact comparisons to the all-time records of legends like Joe Carr and John Burke are difficult as the age of the career amateur has gone.

Men like Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke, Ken Kearney, Niall Goulding and Jody Fanagan have either turned professional or been distracted by career and family obligations.

There is no questioning that young McIlroy, while still eligible to play in boys' championships, has become 'The Man'. He has produced a matchplay record of which even Tiger Woods would be proud with 33 wins, four halved matches and just four losses from his last 41 outings! This is a phenomenal success rate in a sport in which Jack Nicklaus always said: "You lose much more often than you win." Unless your name is McIlroy!

To make things even better McIlroy specialises in taking revenge. Two of the men who overcame him in 2005, Andrew Pitcher and Pat Murray, crossed his path in championship fare again this year and both paid the price.

This is McIlroy's record in singles championship play since he burst onto the senior stage at Rosses Point in 2005.