Rivalry with McIlroy can drive on Woods like Watson battle boosted me, says Nicklaus

By DEREK LAWRENSON FOR MAILONLINE

Published: 03:04 EDT, 18 December 2012 | Updated: 03:04 EDT, 18 December 2012

Never underestimate the value of a young rival. It worked for Jack Nicklaus when Tom Watson came along and starting beating him on a regular basis and it will be good for Tiger Woods that Rory McIlroy has wiped the floor with him this year.

Who says so? None other than the great man Nicklaus himself. 'I think the force that was pushing Tiger for so long was my major record but that might get stale during a period of time,' said the Golden Oldie Bear, now 73.

Rivals: Rory McIlroy has overtaken Tiger Woods to be world No 1

'Now Rory has come along and it will definitely be helpful for Tiger. He probably needs somebody to pop him a few times so he gets a chance to go pop him back. It's kind of good for you to get drummed a couple of times and then all of a sudden he says: "I'm not getting drummed anymore. I'm going to drum that guy back." That's what rivalries are all about. The competition is fierce, and that's good.'

In an unusually long blog on his website, Woods was full of praise for what McIlroy has achieved this year but was more circumspect when it came to the rivalry part. Well, you never talk up an opponent too much, do you?

'Rory had a wonderful year and my hat is off to him, he deserved Player of the Year,' declared Woods. 'Whether we develop a rivalry remains to be seen. Let's just play it out and see where it takes us.'

Where it will take them first of all is to Abu Dhabi in a month's time, which will be the first of around 15 tournaments next year where the pair will both be part of the same field.

This year they went at it for the first time down the stretch at the Honda Classic in March, where McIlroy not only emerged the winner but became world number one for the first time at the age of just 22. They played together on a number of occasions during the four tournament FedEx Cup series in the summer, where McIlroy won two events and finished second behind Brandt Snedeker.  

Classic rivalry: Jack Nicklaus (left) and Tom Watson at the 1977 Open

Now the year has ended with the Northern Irishman picking up all the end of season awards that used to be the preserve of Woods. The latest was being named European Tour Golfer of the Year on Tuesday.  

As for Tiger, he might not have had a year that lived with McIlroy's but he will be quietly pleased about a season of solid progress that saw him win three times to move up 20 places in the world rankings and re-establish himself in the top three. Woods will be 37 at the end of this month, which was exactly the age Nicklaus was when Watson beat him at Turnberry to win the 1977 Open.

Nicklaus's response was to take back Watson's Open crown the following year, and add three more majors to his glittering collection in the years to come. Could Woods respond to McIlroy's challenge by doing something similar?  

'Looking ahead to next year, I'm just trying to win those big four tournaments and obviously try to use other events to prepare for them and try to win them as well,' wrote Woods. 'I have had to alter my practice schedule because my kids come first. It takes a little better time management on my part but I expect to play a similar number of events to this year.'   

Regarding the season just ended, Woods concluded: 'Golf-wise, there's really no comparison between this year and last year. This year I got a chance to play a full season, compete and win three tournaments, whereas last year I was hurt most of the time. Being able to compete as much as I did was very exciting. I could actually go out and practice and prepare and play and not have a limited ball count or rehab training, and recording nine top ten finishes in 19 starts shows my game is back on track.'   

But is it back enough to live with the ever-improving McIlroy? Roll on 2013.