Ask any top sportsman what it is like watching from the sidelines and the response will nearly always be the same: frustrating, unsatisfying and quite frankly, monotonous.
But a period of time away can be beneficial and for Rory McIlroy, having spent three months off the golf circuit towards the end of his 10th year as a professional, it has been a chance to ‘recalibrate and reset’.
A nagging back injury meant the four-time major winner had to shut 2017 down from October, costing him a spot at Dubai’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship – a short-term investment that he believes will ensure he stays at the top for years to come.
“I struggled with an injury pretty much all year last year and I just needed to take a little bit of time out to rehab and let that heal to make sure that I’m 100 per cent for next year,” he told Sport360°.
“It’s actually been nice to get away from tournament golf. I’ve been a professional for ten years, so just to take a few months off and recalibrate everything and reset to get ready for the next few years was nice.
“I allowed myself that little bit of a break to feel rejuvenated and ready to go again next year. I’m feeling good and I’m really excited. I haven’t been this excited about a golf season for a while, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
That excitement goes a long way to explaining why McIlroy will play in eight tournaments before he goes in search of his maiden Masters victory in early April at Augusta – more than he has ever done in his career up to this point.
McIlroy will be looking to add to his four major victories.
“I feel like I haven’t played that much over the past 18 months,” said McIlroy. “I’ve been pretty limited with my schedule the last couple of years.
“That has been good because it has kept me fresh for certain parts of the year, but at the same time – I just want to play.
“I’m just excited to get back out on the course. This is the time for me, as it’s not as if I have any other commitments or anything else going on in my life. I just want to get out there, play golf tournaments and get back in the thick of things.”
Time away from the course appears to have done McIlroy the world of good in more ways than one, as he’s been able to take stock and assess the small details that may go a long way to helping him add to those four majors.
“I guess when you’re not injured you take your health for granted a little bit and when you’re struggling with your body, all you want is to be healthy and do whatever you can,” he added.
“I’ve taken that side of things a little more seriously, by really watching what I’m doing in terms of diet and making sure that I’m warming up properly and doing everything I need to get myself 100 per cent healthy and in shape.
Looking forward to a busy start to my 2018 season. Some great new events on my schedule https://t.co/LeFJyFUFf5
— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) December 8, 2017
“I’ve just been a little more diligent with that side of things, but in terms of the golf, I don’t feel like I need to do anything differently. I feel like I’ve done a good bit of work in the last few weeks on my swing and on my game and I feel like I’m ready to go next year.”
McIlroy’s second event of 2018 will see him head to Dubai to compete in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, and the Dubai resident has certainly made the course at Emirates Golf Club feel like home, having won in 2009 and 2015.
“I’ve won there twice and I love the golf course at the Emirates. I played in the tournament a couple of times as an amateur as well, and it is a great place to start the year,” McIlroy added.
“Dubai is perfect at the time of year that we’re playing. They are able to assemble a really good field, so it’s great competition at the start of the year to see where your game matches up with the other guys.”
Good friends: Horan and McIlroy.
Before he looks to make it a hat-trick of victories, McIlroy will team up with his close friend and superstar music artist Niall Horan for the Wednesday ProAm. The two have struck up somewhat of an unlikely friendship in recent years, culminating in plenty of time on the golf course together.
“We probably haven’t got out to play as much as we’d like recently. He has just finished a very successful first tour and releasing his album and that’s obviously done really, really well,” said McIlroy of Horan’s recent successes.
“I’m in London next week so we’re going to try and catch up and play a round of golf – if the weather permits – so we’ll see how that goes. It’s a bit nicer to play in Dubai, you don’t really have to worry about the weather.
“But we’re going to try and catch up and play. Maybe I’ll give him a few pointers so he can work on it over Christmas and New Year so he’s ready to go in Dubai.”
McIlroy and Horan are offering one lucky fan the chance to join their team for the ProAm on Wednesday January 24. The winner will also enjoy a seven-night stay in Dubai, including flights, plus two tickets to each day of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. For more information on how to enter head to www.omegadubaidesertclassic.com/win.
