Woods plays down McIlroy rivalry

Last updated: 19th December 2012

Tiger Woods insists it's far too early to be talking up any kind of rivalry between himself and Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy now holds the title of undisputed world number one after claiming four PGA Tour victories - including a major, the PGA Championship - in 2012.

Such a position was long held by Woods and with the American finding his feet once more with three wins of his own this year, the pair are often spoken of having a burgeoning rivalry.

However, Woods believes until the pair have gone head to head in a major event, talks of any great rivalry are premature.

"Rory McIlroy had a wonderful year, and my hat is off to him," Woods wrote on his official blog. "He deserved Player of the Year.

"Whether we develop a rivalry remains to be seen. Let's just let it play out and see where it takes us. We'll look at the results the next five or 10 years and see if it becomes a rivalry or not.

"We'll have to win big events and play each other down the stretch. That hasn't happened yet. We've only played each other at Honda down the stretch.

"We need a lot more of those type of battles, but in bigger events."