Rory McIlroy Opens Up on PGA Championship, Injury, Jordan Spieth and More

Rory McIlroy says his ankle is stronger than ever ahead of the 2015 PGA Championship, which begins on Thursday.

Though he was absent from the British Open at St Andrews last month because of the ankle injury, the world No. 1 has made a speedy recovery, and he is raring to go as he looks to defend his 2014 title at Whistling Straits.

McIlroy will be joined on Thursday and Friday by world No. 2 Jordan Spieth—the 2015 Masters and U.S. Open winner—and the four-time major champion will be looking to reassert his standing as the best golfer on the planet.

The Northern Irishman has been practicing hard on the championship course in preparation. He has put to bed any doubts about his fitness and opened up about his forced hiatus, which has seen him out of competitive action since June's U.S. Open, per Derek Lawrenson in the Daily Mail:

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If anything, my ankle feels even better when I swing hard at the ball. I didn’t miss it [the Open at St Andrews] as much as you probably think. Yes, of course, it would have been lovely to be there. But you go to the gym each morning and you see people going about their daily lives and it does give you a sense of perspective. You realise it’s a long way from being the end of the world. [...]

I took seven weeks off at the end of last year and came back and finished second in Abu Dhabi but this is obviously a world of difference. It’s one thing coming back at a regular event in the Middle East but here it’s a major and I’m the defending champion.

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McIlroy won the third and fourth majors of 2014 in a blistering end to the season. However, 2015 has all been about Spieth and his pursuit of the Grand Slam, which was ended by Zach Johnson at St Andrews—the Texan finished in a tie for fourth.

The 26-year-old McIlroy has managed to hold on to the No. 1 spot in the world, though, and the PGA Championship should be a chance for the top two players to finally go head-to-head after Spieth's incredible emergence this year.

Unsurprisingly, McIlroy says he expects to "do well" this week, but his lengthy layoff may count against him, especially if 22-year-old Spieth is on song.

McIlroy says his main aim in the coming week is to win the tournament rather than pursue any rivalry with Spieth, per Lawrenson:

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Of course I’m pleased I’ve hung on to the world No 1 spot. It was a year ago that I regained it and it’s important to me. But at the end of the day it’s all about getting in contention and winning tournaments, and that’s my main focus this week. I’ve let the guys get a lot closer to me but at least I’m going into this stretch feeling really fresh. I’m ready to go. 

"

Spieth is in decent form ahead of Whistling Straits, having tied for 10th place at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational on Sunday with a four-under-par closing round of 66.

Per Odds Shark, he is the bookies' favourite, and after such an extraordinary year, only a brave punter would bet against him winning a third major tournament in Wisconsin.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

If he and McIlroy both find form and go into Sunday in the final pairing, golf fans could be in for a huge treat.

Interestingly, McIlroy has the far better record when the two have played together, but Spieth will be aiming to put that right at the PGA Championship, per ESPN Stats & Info:

There were concerns when McIlroy injured himself playing football with his friends in July that his major season might be over.

However, he has returned in double-quick time and is eager to add a fifth major to his haul in the coming week.

It remains to be seen whether he can succeed, and Spieth will hope to upset McIlroy's return, but with the world No. 1 back in action, the rest of the golfers in the PGA Championship field will be looking to raise their games.