KAPALUA, Hawaii – You can call it selfish. You can call it prudent. Rory McIlroy doesn’t care.
As McIlroy gazed out at the idyllic seascape that serves as the calling card for the annual lid lifter in Maui, it was as if the 29-year-old was starting over. This is the first time the Northern Irishman has ventured to the middle of the Pacific Ocean to begin his year, and the start felt more like a sea change than a slight adjustment.
Although McIlroy’s decision to focus more on the PGA Tour this season has been well documented, his maiden trip to Maui feels like a statement.