Rory McIlroy admits he’ll never be Tiger Woods

Rory McIlroy works diligently to be the finest golfer of his era but he says he’s no Tiger Woods.

Since 2011, when he won his first of four major titles, the golf world has measured McIlroy against Woods and crowned him the heir apparent to the winner of 14 grand slam events. Though certainly the top player in his class — and getting better with each outing — McIlroy has shied away from such comparisons, most recently as he tuned up to defend his BMW PGA Championship title this week on the European Tour.

And while Woods regularly claims that he can continue chasing Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships into at least his mid-40s, McIlroy hinted that he won’t be chasing little white balls around fairways and greens after the age of 40.

“I’ll never be able to do for golf what Tiger did,” McIlroy told BBC Sport from Wentworth, where he will go for his third global win in four weeks. “He was a phenomenon, he brought so many more people into the game because of his background and how he started on tour.”

For sure, Woods was a role model for McIlroy and his peers. A recent Nike commercial portrays the youngster watching on TV as his future brand partner wins his first U.S. Amateur championship title in 1994, emulating Tiger’s swing, following his hero’s career and finally teeing off with and walking down the fairway with him.

Perhaps one day McIlroy will be the object of such idolatry, but for now he has his eyes on a less ethereal prize, and one that he has put his all into attaining.

“I feel like I’m in a generation with a lot of young guys that are coming up and I want to be the best of this generation,” said McIlroy, who has five top-10 finishes in seven tour events in 2015. “I want to win a lot more tournaments, I can win a lot more majors … I just want to be better than everyone else. I’ve put in a lot of hard work over the past 12 months, just working that little bit harder, just those tiny little differences that separate a top-five finish from a win.”

Even he suggests, though, that he may not be willing to do what it takes to maintain his current stature over the long haul.

“The one thing I’ve learned from Tiger, from getting to know him, is how hard he works — the ones who work the hardest do the best,” said McIlroy.

“I don’t anticipate playing senior golf or championship golf,” added the 26-year-old from Northern Ireland. “That’s 14 years away, that’s longer than most sports people have, and I’ve already had an eight-year career in golf.

“Twenty five years should be enough to help me achieve what I want to,” he said. “If there comes a time when I feel I can’t win or give it my best I’d very happily hang up the sticks and do something else.”

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