Rory McIlroy admits rivals' rise motivates him to improve game

Johannesburg: World number three golfer Rory McIlroy has admitted that he is motivated to improve his game after witnessing a rich vein of form displayed by his rivals Jordan Spieth and Jason Day in the just concluded 2015 season.

The Northern Irishman, who ruptured his ankle ligaments in July before being ruled out for the British Open, was dethroned from the numero uno spot behind number two Day and top-ranked Spieth.

Spieth grabbed the Masters and US Open titles, while Day won the fourth and final major of the year at the PGA Championship.

McIlroy said that he was motivated by his fellow competitors' performance, insisting that it has given him the sense of hunger to work harder and improve his game, Sport24 reported.

Earlier on Friday, American golfer Spieth capped off his stellar season with PGA Tour Player of the Year award.