While many golfers benefitted from the mid-season break, McIlroy struggled to find his pre-COVID-19 form. Prior to the break, McIlroy racked up six top-5s in six starts. After the break however, McIlroy failed to score a single top-10 in his first seven starts. There's no reason to panic however as McIlroy still has plenty of game. The biggest question now is his closing ability as he's shown cracks while trying to finish off wins in recent years.
If not for Brooks Koepka, McIlroy's season would be the talk of the golf world. Though he didn't win a major, he was the best golfer from beginning to end. Majors however are what elite golfers are measured by and McIlroy hasn't won one since 2014. McIlroy was extremely consistent last season and he finished with a bang and yet there are still question marks surrounding his ability to win another major. Those aren't going to go away anytime soon and the longer he goes without another major, the more the pressure will build. McIlroy will continue to play at a high-level this season, but asking a repeat of last year's performance, may be a bit too much.
McIlroy has gone from one of the most consistent forces on the PGA Tour to one of the most confusing. McIlroy set the bar impossibly high by picking up four majors early in his career and he's struggled to live up to heightened expectations ever since. McIlroy has all the physical tools, but there seems to be a mental aspect that his holding him back. He has no problem getting into contention during the biggest events, but he struggles when expectations rise, like when he's in the lead. It isn't going to get any easier to close as the longer it takes to get another major, the more the pressure grows, but whether or not he wins another major, he should still continue to produce big numbers. The problem is, he's only topped $5 million just once in the past four seasons and that's the number he must attain in order to be of value in salary cap leagues.
It's not often that a guy makes $2.4 million on the PGA Tour and it's considered a huge disappointment, but that was exactly the case for McIlroy's 2016-17 season. McIlroy was dealing with an injury for much of the season, which could explain his struggles, but it could be something more than that as well. It's yet to be seen if McIlroy is up to the challenge that guys like Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are providing, but even if he's not going to regain his spot atop the golfing world, he shouldn't have much difficulty topping his numbers from last season. McIlroy is a must have in salary cap formats because there's too much risk in not having him this season.
The lone member of the "big-three" that underperformed most of the year, McIlroy was the only one who ended the season in-style, capturing the TOUR Championship and the FedEx Cup. Leave it up for McIlroy to perform his best as everyone is about to give up on him. Well, "give up on him" is a bit of a stretch, but as Spieth and Day continued to trend upward early last season McIlroy spun his wheels. That ended as the playoffs started though as McIlroy looked like his old self and once again boosted his stock heading into the off-season. Last summer the question was, "does Rory belong in the "big-three," now it's, "is Rory back on top of the golf world?" That question can't be answered right now, but he is the lone member of the top-5 on the money list that can be considered a decent pick in a salary cap format. In draft leagues he should go anywhere from first to fourth.
What a year for McIlroy. After years of peaks and valleys, McIlroy put it all together during the second-half of the 2014 season and he's now unquestionably the top-player in the world. The problem here, as is usually the case for anyone ranked number-one on the money list, is that his price is just too much to tackle in the salary cap league. In any other format he's the top-pick, no questions asked. He's the only player that you can pencil at least one major in for the 2015 season.
McIlroy's struggles were well documented last year, so much so that it's easy to forget that at the end of the 2012 season he was unquestionably the best player in the world. A lot has happened since then, an equipment change most notably and although he never resembled the best player in the world last year and new year can turn everything around. The question is not if he'll improve on his 2013 number, but how much? Expect him to improve quite a bit and as such, he's the highest "must-have" player on the 2013 money list. In salary cap formats he'll likely be taken in the top-10, and rightly so.
After a midseason rough patch last year, McIlroy re-asserted himself as the best golfer in the world. The question now is whether he will be the best golfer of his generation. He has the talent, there's no question about that. What's left to be seen is whether he has the drive. For parts of 2012 it appeared as though he did not. He finished the season in style, though, and now it again looks like he's ready to dominate. The resurgence of Tiger Woods should only help him along in his journey to legendary status. There's no reason to think he'll regress this year; however, as is often the case with golfers who finish atop the money list, it will be difficult to improve much, if any, on his earnings from last season. Expect another great season from McIlroy, but his number is too high to be selected in salary cap leagues. He's the unquestioned top pick in draft leagues, though.
Last season was quite a year for McIlroy. He went from budding superstar, to choke artist, to the next Tiger all the in the span of a few months. The chatter quieted over the second half of the season, but as soon as this season begins, the talk will start again about just how high the ceiling is for McIlroy. One thing is certain, McIlroy will be a factor at all the majors, not necessarily in contention, but he'll be one of a handful of players who are considered favorites.
It didn't take long for McIlroy to adjust to life on the PGA TOUR. In his first full season on the PGA TOUR last year, McIlroy earned one victory and five top-10s in only 16 starts. McIlroy is a special player, and his youth should not be an issue. The only problem is his limited schedule. Just like his elders, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, he'll likely play the minimum required to retain his PGA TOUR privileges. In other words, he needs to make every event count. His 2010 number is pretty hefty, but one good outing at a major or the Players Championship can make up a big chunk, so McIlroy is still a good selection in salary cap leagues. It's a wonder how McIlroy succeeds on the course considering he's ranked lower than 100 on three of the four core measures, but he finds a way somehow.
McIlroy took the golf world by storm last season
when he carded five top-20s in his first five events on the PGA
TOUR. He hit a mid-season lull, but finished strong with three top-
4s to close out the season. McIlroy should improve on his numbers
from last season and even if he doesn't play full time on the PGA
TOUR, he'll play enough to make a difference on your team. McIlroy, who ranked 39th at the end of 2008, moved up to ninth place in the final 2009 Official World Golf Rankings.
McIlroy has all the markings of "comer". A strong performance at the 2007 British Open was followed by an impressive full-season 2008. Right now his tee-to-green game is well ahead of his putting. His surge from 232nd to 39th in the final 2008 Official World Golf Rankings was the most significant move of any of the top-50 players.
