Expectations for Rory McIlroy in the 2015-16 PGA TOUR Season

It’s only been 17 days since the TOUR Championship ended, but the new golf year has already arrived. The season opens with the Frys.com Open this week and will be headlined by Rory McIlroy, who has fulfilled his obligation to participate in the tournament.

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The 2014-15 PGA TOUR season was one Rory McIlroy would like to forget. After grabbing three wins in the 2013-14 season, including two major championships, McIlroy only grabbed two wins last season, none of which were majors. He also dropped in 3rd place finishes, top 10s, and top 25s. Sure he missed six weeks due to a ruptured ligament in his ankle, but it still wasn’t a season up to McIlroy’s standards.

"“It hasn’t been the season I hoped for,” he admitted. “It won’t be a year that I look back on at the end of my career. It was a learning curve but not one with great success.”"

With the season behind him, McIlroy has an opportunity to get off to a fresh start this week at the Frys.com Open. The tournament wouldn’t normally draw the attention of big name golfers like Rory, but McIlroy sold his soul to PGA TOUR commissioner Tim Finchem.

McIlroy was one of eight players to play in the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final a few years ago and the commish allowed them to do so as long as they guaranteed to play in the Frys.com Open at least once during the next three years. This year is final year for Rory to fulfill his commitment.

While it may not be the sexiest of tournaments for the Ulsterman, it’s an great opportunity to get his season on track right off the bat. The Frys.com Open is the first tournament of the season meaning that most of the bigger golfers are still enjoying their offseason, so there will be a pretty weak field this week at Silverado Country Club.

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He shouldn’t need much motivation to get back to the top of the sport after this past season. Seeing what Jordan Spieth and Jason Day did on the golf course will be enough to get Rory motivated. McIlroy seemed like an after thought while the other two were busy stealing the headlines.

Watching the success of Spieth and Day will light a fire under McIlroy and make him want to get back to the winner’s circle even quicker. I’ll even go so far as to say that McIlroy will regain his ranking as No. 1 golfer in the world.

There was plenty of talk about a “Big 3” on the PGA TOUR, but rarely did we see McIlroy on the top of the leaderboard alongside the other two golfers. This season will be a chance to see the “Big 3” in full effect.

McIlroy told BBC Sport, “It has definitely given me that sense of hunger again. It’s motivating to see what these guys are doing. You want to work harder, hit more balls and try to keep getting better.”

Expect to see Rory play less on the European Tour and more in America this season. He’s tried to balance life on both tours, but the travel can be overwhelming going back and forth between the continents. McIlroy talked about his travel with AlbanyHerald.com:

"“I’m in an airplane for more than a fortnight a year; have been in 118 different airports in 12 months,” McIlroy said. “I’ve spent 287 nights in a hotel. What does that leave? Less than 80 nights in my own bed, whether it’s the one in Northern Ireland or Florida. I guess at the minute, I don’t really have a home.”"

Spending more time on the PGA TOUR will make for a less hectic schedule and help him keep his primary focus on the FedEx Cup.

It will certainly be exciting to see a fully healthy Rory McIlroy competing on the TOUR again and join the amazing things that Jordan Spieth and Jason Day are doing. Maybe we will finally see the real “Big 3” making headlines together.

Next: The Start of the 2015-16 PGA TOUR Season Is a Sad Reminder for Sangmoon Bae