Lot more I still want to achieve: McIlroy

Rory McIlroy embellished his status as one of the game’s best players with his wire-to-wire win at the British Open nine days ago, but has put that behind him as he strives to achieve further goals before the end of this year.

The Northern Irishman has made a habit of stringing together red-hot runs of form during his burgeoning career and has set his sights on clinching a maiden World Golf Championships crown at this week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

“I’ve obviously had a bit of time to reflect after the (British) Open and everything, but just decided I wanted to move on and move forward,” world number two McIlroy told reporters at Firestone Country Club on Tuesday.

“There’s a lot of big tournaments left this year, a lot of golf left to play and a lot of things I still want to achieve. So I definitely wasn’t going to dwell on what I’d done at Hoylake (venue for the British Open).

“I want to move on and start by playing well again this week. I’ve never won a World Golf Championship. I’ve got three majors but never won one of these, so there’s a lot of stuff still to play for.”

Though McIlroy has suffered a few lapses in form, most notably last year when he struggled to adapt after changing his equipment manufacturer in January and having to cope with legal distractions, he has already achieved more than most of his peers.

Victories at the 2011 US Open and the 2012 PGA Championship gave him two major trophies to cherish by the age of 24 and he followed up on both successes with a stirring run of form.

“I set myself a goal. I want to win the FedExCup. I want to win the Race to Dubai. I want to keep that number-one position in the world.”

McIlroy said he would only be ready to savour his successes once the season was over.