Johnny Miller McIlroy is too good not to put his woes behind him

The double major winner reckons it’s only a matter of time before Rory begins to dominate again.

Little over a year ago, Rory McIlroy made the headlines at the Ryder Cup. He arrived at Medinah in the in the back of an Illinois police car just in the nick of time for his Singles match with Keegan Bradley.

The Irishman continues to make the headlines more for what he’s up to off the golf course than for his form on it.

In the past few days, McIlroy has been embroiled in a court case over the high-profile split from his management company. And rumours persist that he has split from long-term girlfriend, Danish tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, a relationship some blame for his dramatic loss of form.

2012 saw the iconic McIlroy stack up eight top-five finishes, including four wins in 16 events. This year he hasn’t tasted victory at all, and has one solitary top-five finish against his name.

2013 started with McIlroy switching his clubs to Nike in a megabucks deal that drew a lot of scepticism from experts who feared it could harm his game as much as it enhanced his bank balance. They appear vindicated by McIlroy’s subsequent displays, no matter how much he protests to the contrary.

Former Open Champion on both sides of the pond, Johnny Miller, says: “It’s one thing to change your driver and your wedge. But you’re asking for huge trouble when you change all your clubs and your ball at the same time. The minute I heard that he was going to switch everything, I’m thinking: ‘Wow, that’s a gamble.’ I did it with Wilson, and I went into an immediate slump for four or five months.”

Miller is equally candid about McIlroy’s struggles away from the course, saying: “Rory has hit the Grand Slam of things you have to watch out for when you’re at the top. He’s a bit of a mess.”

But Miller now expects McIlroy to recover the game that helped him win two Majors by the age of 23, and emphasises the effect the reported nine-figure contract the Ulsterman signed in the off-season caused him to lose focus.

“He’s too talented not to find it,” insists Miller. “But when you sign a contract like that (the reported £100-million deal with Nike), and you’re that set for life, a signal goes on in your head: ‘I’ve got it made.’”

And Miller gets 100% backing from US Open Champion Justin Rose, someone who has been through the tortuous trials and tribulations that come with heavy expectations from media and fans alike.

“Rory has been under a microscope as he has tried to come to grips with his new equipment,” Rose points out. “And he has had a lot to adapt to in the last three years or so. When there’s a lot going on around you, it is hard to be totally focused on your game. But Rory will get there, because he has a great head on his shoulders. He’s just in a period where he has to ride it out and let it come to him.

“When things are going on around you like he has had, it is a case of finding your inner balance and getting peace in your own mind.”