Rory McIlroy Needs to Tune out Gary Player, Nick Faldo to Regain His Rhythm

Rory McIlroy is learning how the other half lives this year.

In the grand scheme of things, one miserable year does not have to be the end of the world. It certainly hurts, and his reputation has taken a big hit, but the McIlroy who won major tournaments in both 2011 and 2012 could come back to the forefront at any time.

The cold, hard truth is that McIlroy is 46th on the PGA Tour's money-earned list after leading the tour in that category last year.

In golf, people talk. Older players may feel it is their divine right to offer advice or constructive criticism to anyone they like. They may mean well, or they may just want to assert themselves at junior's expense.

That's certainly what if feels like when good old Sir Nick Faldo has something to say to McIlroy. Faldo has been all over McIlroy on getting his priorities straight.

That's right, Faldo thinks he has the right to tell McIlroy how to live his life. It would be one thing if his advice was about something specific in his golf game, but Faldo believes he has the secret formula on what it takes for superstar golfers to be successful.

"You have a 20-year window of opportunity as an athlete," Faldo explained to the BBC. "Concentrate on golf, nothing else.

"When you retire (in your) 40s, 50s, hopefully you have another 40 years to enjoy it. Just concentrate on golf, nothing else. That's my only words of wisdom to Rory."

Actually, those were not Faldo's only words. He also said that McIlroy should get up early to practice and that 9 a.m. was the best time to get to the range.

Faldo is not the only one giving McIlroy advice on how to get his game back in order.

Hall of Fame golfer Gary Player has similar advice for McIlroy. He told talkSPORT that McIlroy should concentrate on golf and that his love life is not as important as his golf game. However, if he is going to make his love life his priority, he needs to find the right wife, like he did.

"

When you're in love as a young man naturally golf seems to take second place for a while. It's natural. Love is still the greatest thing that ever happens in our lives. But the thing is for a man like Rory with talent galore he's got to make sure he has a woman like I've got, who has been married [to me] for 56 years, that has only encouraged me to do well and made sacrifices. He's got to be intelligent and find the right wife.

"

That's just wonderful, Mr. Player. It seems if McIlroy is going to get out of his slump and find his way back to the top of the golf heap, he has to live his life the way you did. He needs to find the same kind of wife you did.

McIlroy needs to take the advice he's been getting from Faldo, Player and anyone else who means well and flush it down the toilet.

He is going to have to depend on himself to figure out what is wrong with his game. He can also consult with his longtime swing coach, Michael Bannon. Together, they can work out the flaws in McIlroy's game.

But he should not be listening to life advice from any of these so-called experts who have McIlroy's best interests at heart. They don't know what they are talking about.

He can tell Faldo and Player what they can do with their advice, or he can ignore them politely. It's his life, and he should live it as he pleases. He does not need Faldo's or Player's approval.

If he makes the right choices, his game will return to top form. If he makes the wrong choices, it won't. However, it's his life. He's a 24-year-old man, and he does not have to listen to his elders.