Rory McIlroy has admitted that 2015 has been a ‘lost year’ but says that he’s inspired to try to match the form of Jordan Spieth and Jason Day.
Four-times major winner McIlroy has dropped from first to third in the world behind number two Day and the top-ranked Spieth.
Spieth and Day have both pulled off a string of victories this year, sweeping up three of the four Majors between them.
The American landed the US Masters, US Open and FedExCup playoff crowns with the Australian winning the US PGA Championship.
"It's motivating to see what these guys are doing," McIlroy said.
"You want to go out and work harder, you want to hit more balls and try to keep getting better. It has definitely given me that sense of hunger again."
The 26-year-old Down man ruptured ankle ligaments in July playing a friendly game of football with his friends.
The injury meant he missed the British Open at St Andrews and led McIlroy to describe 2015 as a ‘lost year’.
"I only missed one major but it was probably the biggest one you could miss," he said. "I, for sure, won't be playing any football in the middle of the season again.
"I'll still want to play football in the off-season and enjoy my time with my friends as that's what we all do but maybe be a little more careful in the middle of the golf season."
