Rory's Gander Is Back

Rory’s gander is properly back up, which is good to hear, especially after this final round performance at East Lakes, when it looked like he had completely lost interest.

Now Rory is saying that the exploits of rivals Jordan Spieth - named yesterday as the PGA Tour player of the year  - and Jason Day have given him "a sense of hunger again".

It has been a pretty dreadful year for Rory, which was badly disrupted by his broken ankle, which happened just as he was coming into the most critical part of the season.

He’s still already at only the age of 26 a four times major winner, but he has been totally eclipsed this year by Spieth, Day and indeed Fowler.

McIlroy told BBC Sport: "It's motivating to see what these guys are doing.

"You want to work harder, hit more balls, and try to keep getting better."

His year did not get off to the start he was looking for, and he couldn’t get anywhere near Spieth at The Masters. He fared no better at The U.S. Open, where he shared ninth spot, and then missed The Open.

The final major of the season, the US PGA Championship, looked like it was going to be touch and go for him, but he did play, coming in seventeenth, 11 shots behind the winner Jason Day. So he’s not had the vaguest sniff of a major in 2015.

"It has definitely given me that sense of hunger again," said McIlroy, referring to the form of Spieth and Day.

We are certainly hoping so. It’s been an incredible season even without Rory being competitive. If he can get back on it then next season could be pure mint.