Rory McIlroy: Rivalry with Jordan Spieth is ‘great for the game’
Rory McIlroy is hoping this year marks the proper start of a rivalry with current world number one Jordan Spieth.
They'll play together at the Abu Dhabi Championship, which starts tomorrow.
Will be having a few clashes with these boys this year! The race has started at #ADGolfChamps #AnyonesGame pic.twitter.com/xGkw3XyzHu
— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) January 19, 2016
Spieth won two majors in 2015 - whereas McIlroy went without one of the big-four titles last year, which was partly affected by injury.
The Down golfer, a four-time major winner, told Sky Sports News, he's looking forward to challenging the American.
“(Spieth) has been the man of the year,” McIlroy said. “I’m trying my best to catch up to him again.
"Hopefully if we can continue to play good golf a rivalry will develop and that would be great for the game.”
Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy go head-to-head in Abu Dhabi. #MondayScramble podcast: https://t.co/hKj75BGVCw pic.twitter.com/7Bnj61aXK8
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) January 20, 2016
McIlroy has a tradition of making a list of goals for the year on a flight boarding pass and said that this year he is focusing on preparation rather than outcomes.
McIlroy on his boarding pass tradition: "Yup, flew from Dublin to Dubai and I wrote down some goals for 2016." #ADChamps 📝
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 20, 2016
“I had a few hours to pass the time and write down a few goals and a few things that I want to achieve on and off the golf course this year."
He continued: "A lot of the goals are about preparation and about doing as much as I possibly can so that when I turn up to events I'm ready to go and I don't have to think about anything. I know that I am a well-prepared as I can be. A lot of stuff is to do with that, with preparation and making sure that I am fully ready to go every week of the year."
You can listen to McIlroy’s interview at newstalk.com.
