Burning Questions for Rory McIlroy Before His 2014-15 PGA Tour Debut

Rory McIlroy is making his 2014-2015 PGA Tour debut at this week's Honda Classic. 

The world No. 1 won the event in 2012 and lost to Russell Henley in a playoff last year, so he knows his way around PGA National. And with a win and a second-place finish to start his season on the European Tour, McIlroy's game is in good shape heading into the week.  

The four-time major winner begins his season with five burning questions.

What are they? Click through to find out. 

Which Irons Will He Play?

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

See the iron Rory McIlroy has in his hands in the photo above? It's not one of Nike's new Vapor irons. Rather, McIlroy is playing his old VR Pro model. Ditto at the HSBC Golf Championship in mid-January. The Australian Open and the DP World Championship: same story. 

A quick survey of tournament photos reveals McIlroy switched to the Vapor irons at the Alfred Dunhill Links at the beginning of October and only continued using them through the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in mid-October. 

Thus, it seems McIlroy only kept the Vapors in the bag for less than a month. 

Has he spent the the three weeks practicing with his sponsor's newest iron model? Surely, Phil Knight and company would prefer to see the new Nike iron model in their star player's bag. And he likely feels pressured to put them in play. 

Any Rust?

David Cannon/Getty Images

Rory McIlroy's last professional event, the Dubai Desert Classic, wrapped up on February first.

When he tees it up in the first round of the Honda Classic, McIlroy won't have competed in 25 days. While the Ulsterman did win in his last start, a three-week break from competitive golf could be long enough for rust to form. Further, the break from the tournament atmosphere could necessitate reacclimation. 

While it isn't likely that Rory will have, say, Tiger Woods' short-game woes in his first start stateside, it's something observers will be keeping an eye out for as McIlroy puts a peg in the ground at PGA National's Champion Course. 

Will Lingering Legal Issues Be an Issue?

Peter Morrison/Associated Press

Rory McIlroy's legal battle with his former management company, Horizon Sports, came to an end at the beginning of February when the two sides settled. The agreement ended more than six months of back-and-forth and put to bed a period of stress and distraction.

Just when it looked like the McIlroy-related legal drama had passed, the world No. 1 was named in a tax probe over potential unsavory investments by a firm managing some of his money. 

While the probe could come to nothing and McIlroy will likely be found to have had no knowledge of the investments, it's another potential distraction for the golfer. 

Bad Memories from 2013?

Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Before there was toothgate their was toothachegate. 

A year after winning the Honda Classic, Rory McIlroy walked off the course at the same event after hitting a ball in the water at the 18th hole. 

After being met by reporters in the parking lot following his abrupt departure, the out-of-sorts golfer muttered about his head not being in the right place. Apparently what that meant, as we learned later, was that he was experiencing pain related to a wisdom tooth. 

Few people believed the explanation had any merit and most felt the "medical" excuse was contrived so that the tour wouldn't penalize McIlroy for having quit mid-round simply because he was playing poorly. 

The low point is worth recalling because Rory McIlroy certainly remembers it well. Will those memories trouble him this week in Florida? 

How Will He Respond to the Greatest Pressure of His Career?

David Cannon/Getty Images

Rory McIlroy begins his 2015 PGA Tour season as the Atlas of the golfing world, bearing the great weight of expectation on this 25-year-old. 

McIlroy, the winner of last year's British Open and PGA Championship, is the favorite to win the Masters at Augusta in April. Should he do so, he'd become the sixth golfer to win the career Grand Slam in the modern era. 

Following the PGA Championship, McIlroy said, per CNN: 

"

I wanted to go to Augusta with four major championships, and I want to go to Augusta next year trying to win five and trying to win the career grand slam.

I've refocused and I've rededicated myself and this is important to me. This is my career and I want to make the most of it.

"

Thus, the four-time major winner has been thinking about the Masters since August. We've seen what trying too hard and forcing the action in major championships has done for Tiger Woods as his frustration has mounted in recent years.

How will Rory McIlroy handling the pressure leading up to the Masters? At Augusta? Those are the questions that will hang over McIlroy's Nike hat-laden head for the next month and a half.