RORY McILROY ADMITS that 2016 has not been the year he had hoped for but the Northern Irishman remains confident he can finish the year with a flourish.
Speaking ahead of the opening round of the FedEx Cup play-offs in New York, McIlroy conceded his performances on both the PGA and European Tours had not been up to his normal high standards.
His failure to make the cut at the US Open and USPGA Championship were particularly disappointing for the world number five. McIlroy has only won once in the calendar year — at the Irish Open — but he hopes to add to that as he looks to reach the PGA Tour Championship in late September.
“I try to judge my year on wins and it [his only success] was a very emotional win but on the bigger scheme it wasn’t a big win,” he told a media conference ahead of The Barclays. “There’s been threes, fours, top fives and top 10s in there, and the weeks that I have played well I have been solid.
“Obviously the two missed cuts at the majors were very disappointing. Especially the way I missed the cuts, I should have played the weekend on both of them. I sort of threw it away. So it hasn’t been the year that I wanted but I feel there’s enough golf left to salvage it and call it somewhat of a successful season.”
He added: “A good week this week can get yourself into the top five and that’s what the play-offs are all about. They give everybody in the top 125 a chance to progress and move on. That’s the goal for most of the field.”
World’s most unlikeable sports star
The way the likes of Spieth and McIlroy have struggled with consistency shows you the incredible feat it was for Tiger to dominate the way he did for so long, he was the ultimate competitor and I miss him and so does the sport, badly. If he was to get another purple patch I’d pay anything to see him compete again
tiger had no problem finding the hole!
Yes Mr FicIlroy, you’ll need to get the finger out, otherwise there’ll be no “Sir Roderick” for you.
Rory’s problems stem from his putting.
the fact that to putt at the top level you have to be straight and true if your not in real life well it just carried to the greens.
Such bullshit. With that logic Tiger shouldn’t have been able to keep the ball on the green never mind be an all time great putter given his off course behaviour during his peak years!!
McIlroy is hard to like and it possibly comes down to the fact that he doesn’t feel comfortable been honest and just saying publicly that he is British and he should just get on with it and good luck to him. Nationality matters and Harrington and Lowry (if he is dodging mosquito’s) will wear the green with pride.
I doubt he gives a toss what you our anyone else thinks about his nationality, nor should he.
Think it’s everyone else that is defining him, getting pissed if he doesn’t pick their side or their absolute version of Irish identity. Some of the people at this have no problem saying “us” and “we” when talking about British soccer teams like Celtic, Liverpool and Man U. Rory has done more for Ireland than most sports stars.
Think his problems have stemmed from his throwing away the tricolour after one of his major wins and then coming out and saying he felt more British than Irish. If he had used his brains and said nothing at all like McDowell, Clarke and even the Jackal he mightn’t have created the identity problems he now seems to have in the eyes of the public over here. Since then he’s found it almost impossible to row back and the Olympic fiasco hasn’t helped either. Now he’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. His PR men don’t seem to have been very helpful either. The solution…. Just get on with what he’s paid to do and whatever you say, say nathin.
Missing too many short putts all year long, crusifing his game. Needs to learn how to read greens