MCILROY WRAPS WHIRLWIND YEAR LOOKS TOWARD MAJOR TRIUMPH IN 2023

PGA TOUR'S STAR PLAYER TAKES STAND ON, OFF THE COURSE EN ROUTE TO MEMORABLE SEASON

- Jim McCabe

It perhaps could have been a more eventful 2022 golf season for Rory Mcllroy. Though truthfully, you would be hard-pressed to say how.

The Northern Irishman might have smashed records for most consecutive days of being a must-search on Google. That's how newsworthy he was, how brilliant was his golf, how successful was his life, and how refreshingly honest was his candor.

On and off the course, he simply was a juggernaut and it culminated with an achievement that had never before been done.

McIlroy became the first player at the same time to be No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, No. 1 in the FedExCup, and No. 1 on the DP World Tour.

While his competitors would certainly pay great respect to that layer of history, there is another aspect to this success that might gnaw on them. That's because Mcllroy has served notice that he isn't yet done. "I feel like I'm healthy, I'm (just) 33 and I feel like my body is in the best shape it's ever been in. Hopefully, it's just moving ahead and keep on moving on."

"I was a model of consistency the whole way through the year," said McIlroy. "I'm really proud of my year."

Acutely aware of the media landscape that engulfs professional sports these days, Mcllroy understands that finishing second at the Masters, eighth at the PGA Championship, joint fifth at the U.S. Open, and third at the Open Championship might not satisfy observers who place intense scrutiny on what you do in the majors. And given that Mcllroy is one of three players to own four major championships at 25 or younger (Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods being the others), the threshold for success is exceedingly high for him.