Rory McIlroy, newly engaged to Caroline Wozniacki, seeks two major wins in 2014

Rory McIlroy has put his disappointing 2013 season behind him and has ambitious goals for the coming golf campaign.

McIlroy, who welcomed the new year by tweeting the announcement of his engagement to tennis star Caroline Wozniacki (“My first victory of 2014”), aims to capture two major championships in 2014 since he failed to win any in the 12 months just passed.

“I won a major in 2011 and 2012 but not in 2013,” McIlroy told the BBC on Thursday, “so I’ll try to make up for that with two this year.”

Following a self-assurance-boosting W over Adam Scott in Australia to end the year, the two-time major champion believes he’s on his way back to the winner’s circle.

“I feel like I am very close,” he said. “I’m confident with my game and confident where it’s going.”

The 24-year-old from Northern Ireland looks to move on from a discouraging year that began with a highly publicized equipment change and included a controversial withdrawal from the Honda Classic, a nasty split from his former management firm, relentless speculation about his private life, and no victories until he bested Scott by one shot at the Australian Open.

While the Aussie triumph did not wipe away all of the frustration of the past season, McIlroy hoped to use it to catapult himself into contention going forward.

“Beating Adam Scott down there was really nice and while it doesn’t make up for the other weeks during the year, it gives me some momentum for 2014,” he said. “I’m so much better down the stretch and I’m so much better under pressure than I used to be, so If I give myself a chance in these tournaments I know I’ll have a great opportunity to win.

“I didn’t have the greatest of seasons in 2013,” a forward-looking McIlroy conceded, “but I feel like I’ll definitely make up for that in 2014.”

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