McIlroy plays down rivalry with Woods
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American is my hero, says the world No 1
World No 1 Rory McIlroy has played down the rivalry between him and 14-time major champion Tiger Woods ahead of the $US5.2million World Golf Final in the Turkish resort of Belek this week.
While sponsors draw heavily on pitting McIlroy against Woods in promoting an event, the 23-year-old Northern Irishman does not see it that way.
“I’m looking forward to tackling Tiger as everyone knows he’s been my hero while growing up,” said McIlroy.
“To get to play alongside him these days and to compete against him is a dream come true.
“This will be the first match where we have played against each other head-to-head compared to individual stroke play so it should be fun, and it’s a match I would really like to win.
“But while I would rather be a part of this than not, I’m in a great position being compared to Tiger.
“However people who watch sports want to see some form of rivalry between myself and Tiger but I don’t see it that way.
“It’s just great to see events like this and I am just pleased to be mentioned in the same conversation with Tiger.”
McIlroy and Woods join six others including Lee Westwood, Justin Rose, Webb Simpson, Hunter Mahan, Matt Kuchar and Charl Schwartzel in a medal match-play format for a first prize of $US1.5million and with the eighth placed receiving $US300,000.
Woods arrived in Turkey, his first visit to mainland Europe since 2003, and immediately expressed his personal disappointment at last month’s Ryder Cup when he managed to secure just half-a-point in his seventh appearance, and that was after conceding the final putt of the competition to Italy’s Francesco Molinari.
“I had an opportunity to earn three points in the team sessions and I didn’t do that,” said Woods.
“My point there at the end didn’t matter as it was all said and done.
“But it didn’t set in for me for a few days as to what happened in Medinah.”
Unlike Woods, McIlroy has been to Turkey before, supporting girlfriend and tennis star Caroline Wozinacki for the season-ending WTF finals.
However on this occasion Wozinacki is present to support McIlroy and the Northern Irishman is determined to continue his recent run of success with victory along the Mediterranean shoreline.
“It’s going to be a very exciting week with eight of the best players in the world and the people of Turkey are going to see an event they’ve never seen before,” he said.
“I am still trying to come down from the high of the Ryder Cup but it’s just nice to be here.
“I haven’t touched a club since the Ryder Cup and I’ve just been chilling out with Caroline so I will get to the golf course early and see if it’s still there.”
In the opening matches later yesterday McIlroy was to play Matt Kuchar, Woods was to take on Charl Schwartzel, Hunter Mahan lined up against Justin Rose, and Lee Westwood clashed with Webb Simpson.
McIlroy will play Schwartzel today morning and then face Woods in the afternoon.
McIlroy, Woods, Schwartzel and Kuchar are in group one and the leading two players go through to tomorrow’s semi-final when they play the top two players from Group B that include Westwood, Mahan, Rose and Simpson.
Europe’s No 1
McIlroy has set his sights on ending his best-ever season on a high by finishing the year as European No 1.
Despite four weeks of competition in the United States ahead of the Ryder Cup, McIlroy continues to lead the Race to Dubai despite now being under serious threat from South Africa’s Branden Grace.
McIlroy he will not return to regular European Tour competition until the Asian Masters in Shanghai later this month.
Grace captured his fourth European Tour win this year when he led from start-to-finish to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday at St Andrews.
The win propelled Grace into third place on the European money list behind second placed Justin Rose of England and McIlroy, with some six weeks remaining in the season.
The trio will compete at Shanghai before contesting the HSBC Champions title at Mission Hills in Shenzhen.
“The big goal for me in what is left in the season is to keep the level up and try to win the Race to Dubai,” he said.
“I have a little bit of a lead at the moment and I came so close in ‘09 finishing second behind Lee [Westwood] and then came close again by finishing third last year behind Luke [Donald].
“But if I can play the next few weeks the way I have been and finish off the Race to Dubai successfully it would be a great way to cap off my great season.”
Grace said Sunday at St Andrews that he now has McIlroy in his sights.
Northern Irishman responded by saying Grace has played great golf this year to win four times.
“But we still have some big events coming up with some big prize money, so there’s a lot can happen and all I am focused on doing is finishing off the season as well as I can,” McIlroy said. “And if I can play as good as I can hopefully I can wrap-up the Race to Dubai title.”
