Rory McIlroy gives Jordan Spieth, Jason Day a head start by skipping Tournament of Champions

Rory McIlroy’s quest to regain golf’s top spot is not so urgent that he’s willing to cut short his offseason to take on Nos. 1 and 2 Jordan Spieth and Jason Day in this week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

McIlroy, currently third in the world rankings, will give Spieth and Day a running head start to the peak by missing the kickoff to this year’s portion of the 2015-16 wraparound PGA Tour season. This, despite the two-time major winner’s stated aim of overtaking the two winners of three of last year’s majors by the time the Masters rolls around in April.

“If I can get off to a good start next year,” McIlroy told BBC.com recently, “I can get back to number one going into the Masters.”

To achieve that goal — especially with Spieth’s current dominance that included two straight major titles in 2015 — McIlroy believes he needs to play more leading up to the season’s first major. He told The Telegraph he would add two events ahead of Augusta, but one of them will not be the ToC that boasts 32 tourney winners from last year.

“There have been times there where I’ve thought I’ve been playing well, but only making par and then you looked up and Jordan Spieth is 12-under for two days,” McIlroy said. “I’m not saying I was undercooked this year, but I definitely won’t be next year.”

McIlroy qualified for Kapalua with his victories at the WGC-Cadillac Match Play and Wells Fargo Championship. An ankle injury incurred during a July 4 soccer game derailed the middle of his season but he finished strong with a win at the European Tour’s DP World Tour Championship to defend his Race to Dubai title.

Even without McIlroy, Kapalua’s Plantation Course will host a robust field that, in addition to Spieth and Day, will include four other players inside the top 10 — Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson and 2015 winner Patrick Reed. In addition, the victors of all four major championships — Spieth (Masters, U.S. Open), Zach Johnson (British Open) and Day (PGA) — will be in attendance.

They and many of the others with Thursday tee times are already enjoying the glory of the Aloha State in January.