McIlroy lands European Tour award

Rory McIlroy has been named the European Tour’s Golfer of the Year for the second time in three seasons, capping an outstanding 2014 for the world number one.

The 25-year-old Northern Irishman landed the British Open title in July and the U.S. PGA Championship crown in August – the third and fourth majors of his career – before winning three points as Europe retained the Ryder Cup in September.

“To be named the European Tour’s Golfer of the Year for a second time is a huge honour and one I am extremely proud of,” said McIlroy who also won this season’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio.

“If I had won any one of those four titles it would have been a good year but to win all four…and to be part of another fantastic European victory in the Ryder Cup means it is a great one,” he added in a news release.

McIlroy has also urged golf’s rule-makers to quicken the game up at grass-roots level in order to make it more attractive to youngsters.

More people are watching the sport on television these days but fewer are taking to the fairways and the 25-year-old Northern Irishman believes something needs to be done to reverse the trend.

“Everything’s so instant now and everyone doesn’t have as much time as they used to so you maybe try some way of speeding the game up,” McIlroy told BBC radio.

“The viewership in golf is up but the participation is down. People enjoy watching the game but gone are the days that you could spend five or six hours on a golf course.”