FedEx Cup Power Rankings: Top ten at The Northern Trust
Stop me if you’ve heard this before – Rory McIlroy is really, really good. No, the results haven’t been what he wants them to be this year, but that’s a factor of quite a few things out of his control.
No, McIlroy didn’t have to fire his caddie this late in the season, but if he felt that he’d be more comfortable making a change, then he has to take the ups with the downs. More notably, he has been battling a rib injury for a significant amount of time. As recently as last week, he left us wondering when he would play again.
"“You might not see me until next year,” McIlroy, 28, had said after the [PGA Championship]. “You might see me in a couple of weeks’ time. It really depends.”"
There are a couple of ways to look at this. First, it’s not like Rory has anything to lose. If he gets out on the course at any point this week and feels the injury flare up, he can withdraw, head home and rest until the Dell Technologies Championship next week. He did just that in 2016, and he took home the title at TPC Boston on his way to the FedEx Cup title.
The way I’m looking at it, though, is that he feels well enough to play, and he knows that he needs to get some reps in. At 44th in the FedEx Cup, his ticket to Atlanta is far from certain, but all it takes is one solid tournament to get him there. String two or three together, and he’s right back on top of the game.
Once Rory gets comfortable, he’ll start winning again. I feel like he’s close, and that makes him dangerous every time he enters a tournament.