Rory McIlroy's Lack of Confidence Will Keep Him from Winning Major in 2013

After winning the PGA Championship last year to become a two-time major winner at the age of 23, it seemed like the sky was the limit for Rory McIlroy. That still may be the case, but the Northern Irishman's failure to play with confidence will prevent him from adding to that total in 2013.

McIlroy ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the world last year by virtue of that PGA Championship victory as well as four additional wins on both the PGA and European Tours. Everything had finally come together for the young phenom and there was suddenly talk about McIlroy eclipsing Jack Nicklaus' major record rather than Tiger Woods.

Several months later, the script has suddenly been flipped. Woods is back in the No. 1 position and seems poised to end his major drought by winning at least one in 2013. McIlroy, on the other hand, appears to be a golfer who has lost his way. He scuffled to a 25th-place finish in the Masters with a score of two-over par, and there haven't been many signs of improvement.

In a lot of ways, McIlroy probably wishes that the 2012 season had never come to an end. Things simply haven't been the same for him since the calendar flipped to 2013. He does have two top-10 finishes, but he hasn't finished better than 25th in his other four tournaments, and that includes a controversial withdrawal at the Honda Classic in March. 

According to Michael Bamberger of Sports Illustrated, McIlroy withdrew from that tournament due to a toothache, but it probably had more to do with the fact that he was struggling mightily in the second round and had almost no hope of making the cut. McIlroy regretted his decision to withdraw, and he hasn't really rebounded since.

There has also been a lot of talk about McIlroy switching from Titleist clubs to Nike after signing a fat endorsement deal. According to David Westin of Augusta.com, McIlroy claimed that his issues with the new clubs were behind him heading into the Masters.

While McIlroy probably needed an adjustment period to get used to his clubs, his issues stem from something much deeper than that. McIlroy simply doesn't seem to have the same confidence and swagger that served him so well in 2012.

McIlroy was the best in the world. He knew it and it showed.

Right now, however, he just looks like an average player on the PGA Tour.

Confidence is a funny thing in the sport of golf. Woods lost his in the aftermath of his marital issues and physical ailments, but he has regained it over the past year and is starting to strike fear in his opponents once again. It's impossible to speak for every golfer on tour, but it's highly unlikely that any of them are shaking in their boots at the thought of playing in a pairing with McIlroy based on the way he has been performing.

It isn't inconceivable that McIlroy can turn things around this year and get back on track, but the signs of that happening aren't present. Now that there is a ton of pressure on McIlroy's shoulders from the fans and his sponsors to produce, he seems to be folding under the weight of those expectations.

There was some pressure last year as he was anointed the next great player. He managed to live up to that billing, but perhaps the fact that some were calling him the next Tiger was too much to handle. Woods hasn't exactly gone toe to toe with McIlroy and beaten him, but it's clear that there is an intimidation factor of some kind.

McIlroy is still an extremely talented player who will continue to remain in contention at major tournaments, but with Woods on the rise and so many other golfers playing great, it's difficult to imagine him turning things around in 2013.

Although 2013 won't be considered one of the best years of his career, maybe he'll be able to look back at it one day as an important one in terms of finding himself as a player. Until McIlroy figures out what is ailing him, though, he won't be winning any majors.

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