"I can only speak for myself. I can't speak for Rory. What I can say about myself is that I genuinely care about the game of golf," he said.

McIlroy secured his first green jacket in a sudden-death playoff against Justin Rose, completing the modern career Grand Slam and becoming the first European to capture all four majors.

The long summer of golf is fast approaching, and so are many of the world's best with their games in tow. The first four months of the season saw history be made, but rest assured, more is along the way with three major championships and a momentous Ryder Cup still on the docket.