McIlroy "Marching to Number 1 at Farmers"... What About Koepka?

Farmers Insurance Open Victory Propels to World No.1, Clash with Woods in 'Masters Prelude'

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy begins his 'No. 1 march' at the Farmers Insurance Open.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "A 0.79-point difference."

Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is eyeing the 'Number 1' spot. Currently, he has 9.09 world ranking points, narrowly behind No. 1 Brooks Koepka (USA, 9.88 points). Moreover, Koepka is in urgent rehabilitation following knee surgery last October. The PGA Tour Farmers Insurance Open (total prize money $7.5 million), opening on the night of the 23rd (Korean time) at the Torrey Pines Golf Course South Course (par 72, 7,765 yards) near San Diego, California, USA, has become crucial.

McIlroy swept three wins last year and was crowned 'Player of the Year.' In March, he won The Players Championship, known as the '5th Major,' in June the Canadian Open, and in August the Tour Championship, the final third playoff (PO) event, with dramatic come-from-behind victories, hitting a '15 million dollar (17.4 billion KRW) jackpot.' In November, he accelerated momentum by capturing the World Golf Championships (WGC) HSBC Champions, which counts toward the 2020 season. Above all, his consistency as the leader in average score (67.53 strokes) is formidable.

For McIlroy, it is especially meaningful to face the 'Returned Golf Emperor' Tiger Woods (USA) in this tournament. Woods is the defending Masters champion this coming April. Last year, he achieved a one-stroke come-from-behind victory, marking his 15th major win after 11 years since the 2008 US Open. The Masters is the final puzzle piece for McIlroy's 'Career Grand Slam.' He sequentially collected the US Open in 2011, the PGA Championship in 2012, and The Open Championship in July 2014, and has been anxiously awaiting for six years.

Only five golfers in global golf history have completed the Career Grand Slam by winning all four different majors: Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan (both USA), Gary Player (South Africa), Jack Nicklaus (USA), and Tiger Woods. This is why McIlroy undergoes special training every year ahead of the Masters. McIlroy will start his campaign at 2:30 a.m. on the 24th on the North Course (par 72, 7,258 yards) alongside 'Sony Open Champion' Cameron Smith (Australia) and Brant Snedeker (USA).