Olazabal: Oz win has Rory on road to recovery

Jose Maria Olazabal has backed Rory McIlroy to bounce back from a miserable 2013 and be a central figure in Europe’s bid to retain the Ryder Cup in September.

Former captain Olazabal, who oversaw the greatest comeback in the Ryder Cup’s 85-year history in Medinah two years ago, believes McIlroy’s dramatic victory in the Australian Open last month against Adam Scott is a sign that the Holywood star is returning to the form that made him world No 1.

“It’s true the Australian victory was not as important as winning the US PGA by eight [in 2012] but winning on the 72nd hole was huge in the sense that Rory had been struggling with his game for the whole year and you always want to win a tournament.

“That is the best proof that your game is coming back. That’s all he needs to build his confidence. He has been playing much better over the last few months. I’m pretty sure he will do really well this year.”

McIlroy isn’t the only Irishman receiving words of encouragement from the Spaniard, who has massive praise for captain Paul McGinley

“He’s been there, done it as a player and as vice-captain a couple of times [including under Olazabal]. You don’t need to be a winner of 10 Majors to be a great leader. A great leader is the one who finds a way to inspire others to achieve a common goal. The American pride has been hurt and I’m sure they will do all they can to win that trophy back. Paul knows he has his hands full and the players will have to play extraordinarily well to keep the trophy.”