Can ‘Momentum Man’ McIlroy break Major duck in 2023?

2022 in professional golf was eventful, to say the least. The big story was, of course, the emergence of LIV Golf, and the subsequent departure of certain players to join the breakaway tour. That story will certainly keep evolving over the months – and possibly, years – but in terms of action on the course, one of the good-feel stories of the year was the return of Rory McIlroy to the world number one spot in OWGR rankings.

That came in October after his victory in the CJ Cup, but the writing was on the wall long before that: Since the 2022 Masters in April, McIlroy recorded 12 top-ten finishes from 15 tournaments, and ten of those were top-five finishes, so it was no surprise to see him return to the top spot. But while this suggests that McIlroy is a consistent golfer, those who have followed his career know this is a little bit misleading. The Northern Irish man is a “streaky” golfer, one who goes on great runs of form for extended periods. He is golf’s momentum man, and he seems to be right in the middle of that streak right now.

A long wait for a fifth Major

Of course, the goal for McIlroy will be to add to his Majors tally, which has remained stubbornly at four wins since 2014. The good news for McIlroy is that bookmakers offering markets for betting on golf are almost unanimous in deeming him favourite for the 2023 Masters, US Open, PGA Championship, and The Open. The bad news is, well, we have been here before with McIlroy.

Indeed, McIlroy’s run to the number one spot feels similar to early 2020, when he last recaptured the top spot. McIlroy had gone on one of his famous streaks, consistently hitting top-five finishes, peppered with the odd tournament victory. But by the late spring, his form went off a cliff again. McIlroy will be hoping that this time he can keep the momentum going a little bit longer.

Rory McIlroy. Image by TourProGolfClubs

There will, of course, be no shame if McIlroy were to end his career on just four Major wins – many players would give anything for such a haul of victories. However, there is a consensus that McIlroy has always been good enough to win more. And in sport, we always want to see potential fulfilled. He has had 12 top-five finishes in Majors that he didn’t end up winning, and so many of those could have been victories.

A calmness surrounds McIlroy

The man himself seems to be quite relaxed about it all, and that arguably augurs well for his medium-term future. In the past, we tended to see McIlroy struggle to get out of his own head a lot, perhaps due to the weight of expectation placed upon him. But there seems to be a bit of the Zen around McIlroy recently, a man who is comfortable in his place in the game. Indeed, it’s worth pointing out that McIlroy has become the most vocal proponent of the “traditional” golf tours in light of the opposition posed by LIV. He seems happy to be the spokesperson.

Regardless, McIlroy will have the holiday season to plan his strategy for 2023. When golf really starts heating up in February and March, we will see if he has carried over this momentum from 2022. And when the first Major – the Masters – comes with the thaws of spring, we will see if he can make it to five Majors, and possibly more. As one of the most popular players to have ever graced the game, there will be plenty of fans hoping that’s the case.