Rory McIlroy has long been considered one of the most dedicated golfers in the world - but he was once told he was jeopardising his longevity with a lack of professionalism away from the course.
The Northern Irishman has emerged as the most box-office player in golf over the past decade, and, barring Tiger Woods, would perhaps be the popular winner at The Masters if he finally gets his hands on an elusive Green Jacket next Sunday.
Standing at 5ft 10in tall, McIlroy towers over most of his rivals with his monster driving distances and has worked tirelessly to evolve his enviable swing to a point where he can consistently combine such effortless power with maximum control.
McIlroy always seemed destined for the very top but his emphasis on hard work and recovery that has helped him stay there. And the 33-year-old has now opened up on how his career could have taken a very different path had he not quickly realised the importance of prioritising his physical condition when rising through the ranks.
Back in 2009 when he was just 20, McIlroy was suffering from a sharp, lingering pain in his back and was shocked by the MRI results that showed he had a near stress fracture. Had the injury worsened, he could have suffered similar long-term back problems to the legendary Woods.
“It got really bad at the start of the 2010,” McIlroy told Golf Digest. “I played in the Masters and missed the cut. The back really wasn’t feeling good. The doctor said to me, ‘Look, if you don't start taking care of yourself or getting stronger, you can seriously jeopardize how long your career is. That was a wake-up call for me.”
He added: "You've got a guy that sees thousands of backs a year, and he's telling you that if you don't start looking after yourself that the career that you thought was going to last 30 years might only last 10. That's a pretty scary proposition."
That conversation with a doctor all those years ago proved transformative for McIlroy, who had not taken life away from the course seriously during his incredible rise as a fearless but unknowing teenager.
"The most exercise I would've had was probably walking 18 holes," he admitted. And then diet wise, I was a typical teenager: A ton of fried food, burgers, pizza, soda, not a ton of vegetables in there. Looking back on it, in a way, it was not good. But it led me down a path where I really needed to reassess what I was doing.
"In that period of about to turn pro, and then probably the first couple years as a pro, I didn't take that side of things seriously at all. But then I realized I needed to going forward. It was a big lesson learned, and obviously that lesson has stayed with me throughout my career up until this point."
