DORAL, Fla. — A month and a half ago, when you looked at Rory McIlroy — with his No. 1 world ranking, freshly inked long-term contract to play Nike clubs for between $10 million and $15 million per year and tennis star girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki on his arm — you could not help but wonder, “Who’s got it better than Rory?’’
Yet, after an unsettling span of golf to start 2013 that has included a missed cut in Abu Dhabi, a first-round elimination from the Match Play and his abrupt exit in the middle of his second round last week at the Honda Classic, McIlroy appears as wayward as one of the shots he sent into the water hazards at PGA National before his ill-advised walk-off.
After McIlroy quit last Friday, he told reporters, “I’m not in a good place mentally.’’
The biggest change McIlroy, who is scheduled to meet with reporters today in advance of this week’s WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral, has made in his life has been in his equipment, so there is growing speculation he is having trouble adjusting to the clubs.
Critics wonder aloud why he would mess with success — other than for the money grab.
True, it has been only a short time since the switch (4 1/2 competitive rounds), but McIlroy’s struggles lead you to wonder whether the swoosh sticks suit him the way the Titleist equipment he used to win two major championships and ascend to the No. 1 ranking by age 23 did.
The speculation will not subside until McIlroy finds success with the Nike equipment.
The combination of his poor play (he insists his swing is off) and criticism about the equipment change has compounded the problem for McIlroy, whose decision to quit last week was highly uncharacteristic, evidence all this is testing his patience.
“When you start trying to prove things to other people and you stop playing for yourself, that’s a very dangerous place to be,’’ said Graeme McDowell, a fellow Northern Irishman and a friend of McIlroy’s. “He’s trying to prove to the world he’s good enough with Nike equipment. He’s got to get back to playing golf for himself.”
Some players believe McIlroy should have played in more tournaments early in the season to get acclimated to the new equipment.
“With new equipment, if anything, you’d think he would play in more events early on to get used to it,’’ Geoff Ogilvy said.
McDowell said, “It’s impossible to ignore that human element of doubt we all have. … I have to go out there, put a card in my pocket, play competitively and get that feedback and confidence back. There’s no substitute for that.’’
Golf Channel and CBS analyst Nick Faldo called the equipment change “a very dangerous time’’ for McIlroy.
“I don’t feel when you’ve climbed that wonderful climb to world No. 1 that you should be compensating and trying to find a way for this equipment to fit you,’’ Faldo said.
A miffed McIlroy responded by saying, “Nick Faldo doesn’t know how I feel over the golf shot and I don’t know how he felt. But my guess is he was a little more analytically minded than I am. I try and keep things as simple as possible.’’
After Dubai, McIlroy said he “knew [the equipment speculation] would happen if I didn’t play well,’’ adding, “I probably put a little bit too much pressure on myself to play well because of that.’’
That pressure has only mounted.
“It seems like it’s just kind of building now,’’ Ernie Els said. “I didn’t think much of the equipment change. We’ve all made equipment changes before. But I think there was a bit of criticism and he started responding to that. Hopefully he gets it together.’’
McDowell believes one great round can flip the script for McIlroy, saying that could come as early as this week at Doral.
“He’s one 65 away from being back,’’ McDowell said. “That’s the fickleness of the sport. If he goes out and shoots 65 everybody shrugs their shoulders and goes, ‘Rory’s back.’
“You don’t write that kid off. He’s got that X-factor that not many of us have.”
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com