As Woods fades, Rory McIlroy embraces his status as the global face of golf

Rory McIlroy has made no secret of his desire to be the face of the game of golf, and with Tiger Woods on an indefinite leave from competition and no certainty he’ll ever regain his world-beating form, the world No. 1 is ready to embrace his stature as The Man.

“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” McIlroy told reporters after Wednesday’s Honda Classic pro-am. “I would be wasting my time if I was out there practicing as much as I do and putting as much time into it if I didn’t want to be in this position ... Of course I want to be that guy.”

The crown sits far more easily now than it did a few years ago atop the curly-haired head of the four-time major champion who makes his 2015 PGA Tour debut Thursday at PGA National, where he won in 2012 and blew the lead down the stretch last year to finish runner-up. And though he seeks to share the marquee with 20-somethings like Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day as co-stars in The Next Generation, McIlroy has earned top billing.

He cemented his top-ranked stature with a sensational 2014, in which he won three tour events, captured Player of the Year honors, and chalked up two consecutive major titles to end the season. With his tuneup for the Masters about to kick off, the 25-year-old said there was no undue burden on him to fill the shoes of the missing Woods.

“I don’t feel any extra pressure to be the face of the game,” McIlroy said. “I think the game’s in great hands, not just with people like myself but some of the young stars that are starting to come through and play well. I feel like the next generation coming through can definitely keep golf where it is, and it is in very good hands.”

The odds-on favorite to win at Augusta in April and complete the career grand slam, McIlroy has matured since he unconvincingly blamed a toothache for his withdrawal from the 2013 Honda Classic. In the intervening time, he has shed himself of off-course issues that did not seem to distract him from his efforts inside the ropes.

He unceremoniously dumped his then-fiancee Caroline Wozniacki in May and proceeded to go on a tear, winning the European Tour’s BMW PGA championship, the British Open, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship. More recently, he settled a contentious legal matter with his former management firm, an issue some observers believed might shackle him as he readied himself for the Masters.

With such matters in the rear-view mirror, McIlroy contended he was far more prepared than in past years to assumed the leading-man role from his struggling Nike stablemate.

“I’m in a great position and I feel like I handle the position I’m in a lot better than I did a couple of years ago,” he said. “I’ve spent well over a year of my career at world No. 1, so I’m pretty used to it by now.”

McIlroy will launch the prep for his Masters quest at 12:45 p.m. ET off tee No. 1 alongside Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka.