Rory McIlroy reflects on Irish Open win after frustrating 2016

The flashes of brilliance Tiger Woods showed as he made his long-awaited comeback at the World Hero Challenge brought a tantalising prospect – which had long seemed dead – back to life.

Should Woods improbably return towards the peak of his powers then maybe, just maybe, we will get to see him go toe-to-toe with the man who took his crown and replaced him as the biggest deal in golf.

Rory McIlroy is yet to dominate quite like Woods did in his pomp but when the 27-year-old is in the groove he has a similar aura of invincibility to the one his boyhood idol possessed as he picked up 14 Major titles.

And McIlroy welcomed Woods’ return to action last weekend, and praised the box-office effect he still retains eight years on from his last Major win: “I think everyone’s excited and it’s great to see him back, it’s great for the game.

“Honestly I don’t care who I play for Majors, as long as I’m the one trying to get the win – but it’s good for golf . . . He’s such a huge draw for us and such a huge draw for the sport, and the game is better with him involved.”

Irish Open win

McIlroy’s 2016 campaign ultimately proved frustrating as he failed to make a real impression in any of the Majors, however he did tick off one competition he had been desperate to add to his CV – the Irish Open.

In his second year as tournament host McIlroy finished three strokes clear at The K Club, in what would prove to be the highlight of his season: “The Irish Open was great, obviously. I thought it was going to be a catalyst for the year but I had a bit of a quiet summer.

“It wasn’t bad by any stretch, I still had some good results, but the Irish Open was great, some great memories – it’s not the biggest tournament I’ve ever won but it definitely meant a huge deal to me.”

McIlroy will head into next term with a new set of clubs in his bag after former sponsor Nike announced they are pulling out of the golf market, however illness has meant he is yet to trial any new equipment after contracting glandular fever.

This means a planned trip to Dubai this month to test out new clubs could be curtailed, he said: "I'm supposed to be going on Monday but I'm a little sick at the minute. I actually contracted glandular fever after coming back from China so I'm trying to get over that, I'm still not feeling great, I'm a bit run down, so we'll see. I'm supposed to go out but it will depend on what the doctor says whether I should travel or not."

Augusta

However all roads still lead to Augusta in April, and the holy grail of a maiden Masters title.

McIlroy's preparations begin in earnest in the South African Open in January: "I'm supposed to play in SA at the start of next year and then go from there. Augusta is the first real goal of next year, and it's the same goal every year – you try and build your way into the season, it would be great to get a couple of wins early on and be in good form heading into Augusta."

If all goes to plan for McIlroy then who knows – we might see him tackling a familiar face in a red polo shirt on Sunday night, with a green jacket on the line.

Rory McIlroy was at the 28th Excellence in Sports Awards 2016, an evening which raises funds for the Irish Youth Foundation - a charity helping improve the lives of young Irish people living in disadvantaged circumstances: www.iyf.ie