The top 10 moments from Rory McIlroy’s 2013 season.
Will he play for Great Britain or Northern Ireland in the 2016 Olympic Games? For whom should he play? People kept asking Rory McIlroy questions about his future Olympic representation when golf returns to the Games in Rio. McIlroy didn’t (and still doesn’t) want to pick a side and the questions persist. (Getty Images)
After winning two playoff events in 2012 and nearly winning the FedEx Cup, Rory McIlroy didn’t qualify for the Tour Championship in 2013. He finished 50th in the final standings. (Getty Images)
After a pair of disappointing finishes in the season’s first two majors, Rory McIlroy shot 79-75 (12 over par) to miss the cut by four shot at Muirfield. (Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy began the year ranked No. 1 in the world. Then he dropped to No. 2, behind Tiger Woods, in March. And then he fell to No. 3, and then 4, and then 5, and then 6, where he will start in 2014. (Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy rallied to win the Australian Open for his first victory of 2013, his first title since the 2012 European Tour finale in Dubai. It marked his 11th official professional win, worldwide.
Through eight holes of the second round in the Honda Classic, Rory McIlroy decided he had enough. But he couldn’t decide what his excuse was. Seven over for the day, McIlroy walked off the course, telling reporters, “I’m just in a bad place mentally.” He later blamed a sore wisdom tooth, in a news release. McIlroy apologized, but the stigma remains.
The presentation was grand - holograms and a bunch of lights and loud noises. But many wondered: Would switching clubs harm Rory McIlroy’s game? The detractors grew as McIlroy struggled in 2013. Rory tested drivers throughout the season and briefly reverted to his Scotty Cameron putter, before putting the Nike Method back in his bag. Despite Rory insisting his poor play was his fault, some kept blaming the arrow, not the archer.
After earning Player of the Year honors on both sides of the Atlantic in 2012, capturing a major title and winning three times on the PGA Tour and once on the European Tour, Rory McIlroy was shutout in 2013 (though, he did win the Australian Open). He finished the year with one top-five finish on both the PGA and European tours.
