What a difference a year makes for McIlroy

European Ryder Cup player Rory McIlroy waits on the seventh green during his foursomes 40th Ryder Cup match at Gleneagles in Scotland September 27, 2014. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) - Only a special performer can live up to a seismic pre-season prediction and, when he is old and grey and sitting in his rocking chair, Rory McIlroy will look back at 2014 as the year he became a true golfing great.

The tousle-haired Northern Irishman also ruled the roost two years ago, winning five times around the world, but a change of equipment and off-course distractions in 2013 caused a slump in form that saw him slide to sixth in the rankings.