Wednesday 27 May 2015 16:19, UK
Paul McGinley reflects on Rory McIlroy's early Wentworth exit and looks ahead to this week's Irish Open...
I don’t think it was inevitable that Rory McIlroy would miss the cut last week, but getting your schedule right with the demands of being the best player in the world is a never-ending process.
Getting the right balance comes with experience, but the demands on Rory are vast – particularly after winning twice in three weeks heading into the BMW PGA. He’s just as busy at the start of the week as he is at the end and that can take a lot out of you.
The most important thing for all professional golfers, as well as professional sportsmen and women in general, is recovery. That’s not just physical recovery, as mental recovery is just as vital.
Rory is now in this process, but so far he has equipped and handled himself very well. He’s embraced his position as world No 1, he enjoys being No 1 and he understands the responsibilities that go with being the world No 1.
Like everything else he’s done in his career, he will learn how best to deal with it and get better at it as time goes on. He’s got good people and good management around him.
Home surroundings
It’s a shrewd move from Rory and his team to take on the Irish Open sponsorship through his foundation. There are no losers in that situation, as the public win, Rory wins and the European Tour win. The most valuable thing to Rory in the position he’s in at the moment is his time.
Rory’s commitment to the Irish Open is huge, not just because he is hosting and his team are running a lot of it, but it also helps to attract star players from around the world. Rickie Fowler is here this week, and there will probably be more to follow in future years, with Rory returning favours along the way.
McIlroy's very familiar with the golf course. He played the Walker Cup there a few years ago, but to be honest I think every golf course in the world can be well suited to Rory McIlroy.
He won around Wentworth last year and proved that he is able to play patient golf without overpowering a course to win. He obviously played well on the links of Hoylake to win The Open last year, and he’s just knocking off the challenges one by one.
Rory is still in his mid-20s don’t forget, and it’s incredible to think what he has achieved so far, but there are plenty more challenges lying ahead for him.
Royal County Down is up there with the very best courses to have hosted the Irish Open and it’s probably the most scenic links golf course in Ireland. With the gorse in bloom and the backdrop of the Mourne Mountains, it’s all going to look like a postcard. The aerial views will be spectacular, so hopefully a lot of American and European viewers will want to come and visit Ireland after seeing the beauty of the place on TV.
I love the course, but Royal Portrush has always been one of my favourites. I haven’t played Royal County Down since I was an amateur, so that’s more than 20 years ago, but I’m really looking forward to going back there. I caddied for my dad there in the Irish Amateur back in the 80s.
I was very disappointed to have to pull out at Wentworth. I have been suffering with acute back spasms which still have some residual effects. But I’ve had a lot of physio over the last week or so, and I’ll be raring to go for the Irish Open.
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