Published Wednesday, 25 January 2012
On Thursday the Holywood golfer goes straight in at the deep end when he tees it up in Abu Dhabi against world number one Luke Donald and a certain American golfer called Tiger Woods.
2012 is a Ryder Cup year and last year was a bumper year for the Northern Irish players.
Rory McIlroy claimed the US Open in June and Darren Clarke claimed the biggest prize of all in July at the Open Championship.
The tournament in Abu Dhabi has brought together a top field and Rory McIlroy said it is important to get off to a good start.
He said: "It's a great way to start the year and I'm excited to get the new season up and running."
McIlroy practiced with Tiger Woods for nine holes on Tuesday.
He said: "It was good. He seems like he's happy with everything - I know he's definitely happy that he feels like he's back to 100% fitness, which is great for him.
"He hit a lot of good shots out there, so I think he's worked hard in the off-season and looks like his game is in pretty good shape.
"It's definitely not a quiet way to start the year. You're playing with two of the best golfers in the world in the first two days and you're up against one of the strongest fields probably that will be assembled this year.
"You want to try and get off to a good start, so you want to try and play well, but obviously the majors have that little bit extra," he said.