Refreshed and refocused, Rory McIlroy resurfaced this week in Dubai with driver in hand and proclaimed himself ready for 2016.
The world No 3 has been putting in the hard yards on the practice range ahead of Thursday’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, when his season debut will mark the beginning of what he hopes will be another successful 12 months.
He has enjoyed eight weeks of competitive downtime, a period that has allowed ample opportunity to reflect on 2015 and reassess goals for the new year. No surprise, then, that major championships represent a priority, especially since McIlroy failed last season to add to the four already on his CV.
However, having finished the campaign with victory at the DP World Tour Championship in late November and a third Race to Dubai crown, he is optimistic he can put that right this year. After all, that is how great careers are defined.
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“Winning major championships is really the measure of achievement in our sport and my focus for 2016,” McIlroy says. “I have certain objectives I want to meet throughout the year and it doesn’t matter who I’m playing – I just want to play the best golf possible.
“Going without a major in 2015, it was important for me to end the year on a high by winning the Race to Dubai. I felt the win would give a good bit of momentum going into this year.”
Maintaining momentum will be key to his chances of adding to the major collection. The first opportunity comes at the Masters in April, where McIlroy, 26, aims to slip into the green jacket and thus secure the career grand slam.
Completing the set represented golf’s main plot-line this time last year, following a remarkable 2014 in which McIlroy landed the season’s final two prize trophies, at The Open and the PGA Championship.
With defending champion Jordan Spieth sure to fill airwaves and column inches throughout the build-up to Augusta, maybe McIlroy can slip under the radar somewhat. Well, perhaps just a little.
“Until I am able to get my hands on a green jacket, the discussion will always happen in the run-up to the Masters,” he says. “But that’s fine by me. This year may be a little different because I wasn’t able to win a major last year.
“The focus might be on Jordan’s defence or who else is a likely contender. As far as I’m concerned, nothing will change my preparation. Come April, I’m out there to win, doing anything I can to beat the rest of the guys that week.”
That McIlroy should be slightly more motivated than usual for what lies ahead is understandable. Last year began brilliantly, with his second place in Abu Dhabi followed by a second victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. By mid-May, he had notched his second and third wins of the season, triumphing at the WGC - Cadillac Match Play and then the Wells Fargo Championship.
McIlroy seemed set for a bumper summer, but tore ankle ligaments playing football with friends back home in Northern Ireland, an injury that deprived him of the chance to defend the Claret Jug at The Open in July. He did not return until August’s US PGA Championship, finishing 17th.
Also see: John McAuley's guide to the 2016 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
If not for the setback, McIlroy appeared in good shape to challenge for both titles. Yet, six months on, the bad ankle does not rankle; as the saying goes, time can be a great healer.
“It was an accident during a kickaround with some friends, and nothing more,” he says. “I was obviously upset that I couldn’t defend The Open at St Andrews, but it’s behind me and I’m looking forward to this season. And there’s no point imagining what would have happened otherwise.
“Looking back on the moment made me realise that this is my time to capitalise on my career. The next 10 years is my time. I know now that I really can’t be taking risks in the middle of the season that might set my career goals back. I won’t be making those mistakes again this year.”
Staying fit and healthy is an obvious requirement in McIlroy’s bid for success. It is something Tiger Woods has found difficult to manage, as the 14-time major champion remains sidelined following a third surgery on his back in 19 months.
Woods has not yet set a return date, but much like everyone else connected to golf, McIlroy is eager to see the American, now ranked 422nd in the world, competing again as soon as possible.
Their relationship extends beyond the professional, so much so that last month McIlroy tweeted wishing his Nike stablemate a speedy recovery. In the post, he reflected on Woods’ enduring importance to the game. That conviction remains.
“As I said in my message to him, golf without Tiger Woods doesn’t bear thinking about as he helped to make the sport what it is today,” McIlroy says. “I grew up with Tiger as my idol in the game and am lucky enough to now call him a friend.
“When he’s not around I guess there is a bit more pressure on all of us to see if somebody can lead the pack. There are so many good guys out there, but it will be interesting to see if the game can be dominated again the way Tiger did for so many years.”
It will be interesting, too, to see if Woods can be that guy. The doubts regarding his ability to compete for titles strengthened in November, with Woods enlisting as assistant to US captain Davis Love III for the Ryder Cup later this year, to be played at Hazeltine, Minnesota. The move surprised many, McIlroy included.
“When I first heard the news, I didn’t know what to think,” he says. “Tiger not playing Ryder Cup is hardly perfect, but it’s great that he wants to help the US team in any way that he can.”
For someone who grew up wanting to tread the Tiger trail, could McIlroy perform in a similar capacity in future?
“The idea of me being captain is a very long way off,” he says. “I want to play in as many Ryder Cups as I can before that even becomes a consideration. If the time ever comes, I’ll be able to add experience to the locker room and hopefully offer some advice on the experiences I’ve had in the event.”
For the moment, McIlroy’s mind is fixed firmly on Abu Dhabi this week. He will attempt to emerge from another strong field with hands on the Falcon Trophy, finally, after finishing runner-up in four of the past five years. That will not be easy, given he is up against three other of the world’s top six players: Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson.
In particular, the presence of Spieth excites, since the world No 1 began his 2016 last week with a runaway victory at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. Contesting Abu Dhabi for the first time, it offers the season’s first glimpse of the much-vaunted Spieth-McIlroy rivalry, as well.
“Having the likes of Jordan, Rickie and Henrik there makes the tournament both very exciting and much more difficult to win,” says McIlroy, who praises Spieth’s ability to putt well under pressure.
“Jordan had an incredible 2015. It motivates me to play better because I get the feeling he isn’t going to let up.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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