Rory McIlroy gets a grip after one year
World No 1 says it took him longer than expected to adjust to new clubs, but once he did, the Northern Irishman was then simply unstoppable
Rory McIlroy received plenty of criticism when he switched club manufacturers almost two years ago and he has now conceded that it took nearly 12 months to feel totally at ease with his new equipment.
The Northern Irishman was flying high at the top of the world rankings when he signed a 10-year contract with Nike in January 2013 that media reports say was worth US$250 million.
The major wins were really a continuation of that process. And, of course, hugely important, satisfying and evidence that I could win majors when I had to dig deep, rather than by comfortable margins
A host of fellow golfers and media pundits lined up to tell McIlroy he was taking a gamble with his career and he went through a torrid time before ending a 12-month title drought by landing the Australian Open crown at the end of the year.
McIlroy has not looked back since and an outstanding 2014 season yielded two major triumphs, a World Golf Championship win, victory in the European Tour's flagship event, a memorable Ryder Cup display and a return to the number one spot.
"The Australian win at the end of a very lean 2013 was a welcome bit of form," the 25-year-old said. "It was the coming together of some hard work on many aspects of my game and becoming completely comfortable with the club changes I'd made.
"I then had the confidence to get the job done. I'd say it was worth the wait to get things properly in place.