Rory McIlroy has a New Year’s message for Jordan Spieth: It won’t be as easy in 2016 as it was for the 22-year-old Texan this year.
Spieth won five times last year, and seven in a torrid stretch of about 10 months, including the Masters and U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, and holds the No. 1 spot in the World Golf Rankings that McIlroy had a grip on at the end of last year.
“It will feel completely different for Jordan (in 2016),” McIlroy told the Daily Telegraph in London. “If you look at the stats at how those who have had a double-major season have performed the next year … it’s hard to back up.
“There’s so much expectation, so much attention and focus. And I think it is more self-inflicted pressure really, as your expectations are so high.”
McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, won four titles in 2014 including the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool and the PGA Championship at Valhalla, bringing comparisons to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods with four major victories by the age of 25.
Not that 2015 was so bad, as Rory again won four times, but he missed a key portion of the season including his Open title defense at St. Andrews because he ruptured a ligament in his left ankle while playing soccer with friends.
It wasn’t only that he came up empty in the majors, but McIlroy was inconsistent at times.
“This time last year, (expectations) were through the roof coming off a great season, winning those back-to-back majors, and although I started well I never felt I really got into my stride with the injuries and stuff,” said McIlroy, who has slipped to No. 3 in the world behind Jason Day of Australia.
Rory ended the season strong by winning the DP World Tour Championship-Dubai in November to claim the Race to Dubai title for the third time in four years. He also won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February and was selected European Tour Golfer of the Year, also for the third time in the last four seasons.
However, he wasn’t pleased with his year overall and plans to be ready for his second attempt to claim the Career Grand Slam by winning the Masters in April at Augusta National, where he finished a career-high fourth last year.
“It just sort of all came together in Dubai and it makes me excited about next year,” said McIlroy, who recently became engaged to Erica Stoll, who works for the PGA of America.
“I’m not saying I was undercooked this year, but I definitely won’t be next year. I’m playing (the Northern Trust Open at) Riviera (in California) for the first time and with the WGC-Match Play moving dates, Augusta will be my eighth event (of 2016).”
With Spieth, Day and McIlroy making up a modern day Big Three (Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player of South Africa were the original terrific trio), 2016 promises to be a year to remember.
