Rory Mcilroy is still at the peak of his career. Although still very far away, the Major champion four times confirmed that he did not want to become a golf player who was forever pursuing the glory that belonged to the past.
Speaking to the press on Wednesday morning at TPC Sawgrass before the Players Championship, Mcilroy received many questions about Tiger Woods’s latest injury. On Tuesday, Woods announced that he had his left -footed Achilles tendon and had surgery, meaning that he would be absent from the entire Major 2025 season.
“It’s really a pity,”Mcilroy shared.“He [Tiger Woods] constantly encountered a problem with his injury and physical. Obviously, he has devoted his best to prepare for Augusta … “
When Woods is about to turn 50, the question of the career of the legend becomes hotter:How long can you play?
This also makes people ask the future of Mcilroy in the golf village. This seems to be a strange question for a new 35 -year -old golf player, ranked second in the world and still maintains his performance over the years. But with 18 years of professional competition, Mcilroy said that even though he was still full of passion, he did not want to be the one who clung to what was over when his time gradually closed.
“I won’t have a problem with that. I am very willing to make room for the younger generation to rise, ”Mcilroy said.“We golfer is much more fortunate than other sports athletes when we can play the top for a long time. But when I feel that the time has come, I will not hesitate to step back and let the next generation shine.”
Mcilroy also said he had two criteria to decide the time to retire from his career: when he achieved all the desired goals and when he no longer felt he could compete at the top. What he never wants to become a golfer “walks” on the pitch, playing under the glory.
“I don’t want to last and become a shadow of myself. I want to leave before it’s too late. Certainly, there will always be the feeling ‘I can add one more prize’, but that’s okay. If I can accept that and take the initiative to know the time to stop, I think it’s the best. ”
If Woods could return next year, he would be eligible to play at the PGA Tour Champions, and Woods once expressed his interest in participating in the award system for golfers over 50 years old. But with Mcilroy, that prospect is not absolutely attractive.
“Never,”Mcilroy said frankly.“I used to say a lot of things in the past and then had to think again, but I really didn’t intend to play in the Champions Tour. If I was 50 years old and I still had to play golf to compete, then there would be something serious mistake. ”
