Unquestionably, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland is one of the best golfers on the PGA Tour. His 26 championships and four major titles prove that.

However, McIlroy is not the second coming of Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods, as some members of the media would have you believe.

The most recent example of that took place Sept. 21 in England, where he lost the BMW PGA Championship to American Billy Horschel in a playoff. Americans occasionally win golf tournaments in Europe, but they are not supposed to beat someone like Rory McIlroy in a playoff on British soil.

McIlroy might be the most hyped golfer of all-time. But he is not even close to being the GOAT. He has not won a major since he captured the PGA in 2014. And, at age 35, he is not getting any younger.

Yes, he is among the longest hitters on the PGA Tour, which would surprise many people at first look, because his physical stature does not make observers think he has great strength. But he does hit long tee shots, which frequently puts him in positions to birdie and even eagle a lot of holes.

That’s one reason that fans enjoy watching him, at the course or on television. And he should have an excellent swing because he is a golf prodigy, being introduced to the game in Northern Ireland by his father at age 7.

Rory needs to apologize to no one for his accomplishments on the PGA Tour. But some of the media needs to step back on attempts to immortalize McIlroy. He has not gotten to that level — at least not yet.

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Maine Golf’s Women’s Match Play Championship on Sept. 23-24 at Prout’s Neck had two area qualifiers, Cynde Dunne of Spring Meadows (86 for sixth place) and Melissa Johnson of Martindale (90 or eighth). Both were eliminated in the quarterfinal round.

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Maine Golf features its Senior Match Play Invitational Oct. 1-2 at Abenakee. It has men’s play days Oct. 1 at Brunswick and Oct. 4 at Samoset Resort. Women’s play days are Oct. 1 at Poland Spring and Purpoodock.

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Since this is the final “Par for the Course” column of 2024, its readers will get a report on Kennedy family golf.

The late Imogene Kennedy was the only Kennedy to have recorded a hole-in-one, and my mother probably played the least golf in the family.

Father, Bill Kennedy Sr., played a lot in Connecticut and New Jersey before they retired to East Quogue, New York, where Imogene notched her ace.

Their son, yours truly, never has had a hole-in-one, nor had his three sons, Bill III, a longtime single-digit handicapper; Dave, with a more recent single-digit handicap; and Rich, an employee of the New Jersey State Golf Association.

The hole-in-one drought came to a conclusion this year, as Dave got one during August in New Jersey, and Bill III knocked in his tee shot recently, on Sept. 23 in Oregon.

This 2024 development does not put pressure on their 84-year-old father as much as it does on the Rich, the youngest Kennedy brother. Right?

Bill Kennedy, a retired New Jersey golf writer and editor now residing on Thompson Lake in Otisfield, is set to be inducted into the Union County (New Jersey) Softball Hall of Fame as a writer next month. This column concludes his 12th season as the Sun Journal’s golf columnist.