Rory McIlroy has overtaken Adam Scott, Steve Stricker, Martin Kaymer and Zach Johnson to become Titleist's second highest ranked player behind European number one Robert Karlsson.

Hat's off then to Acushnet CEO Wally Uihlein, who spotted McIlroy's potential when he played with his son Peter in junior events in Florida.

McIlroy has been using Titleist equipment since his amateur days and even met Tiger Woods on a visit to Scotty Cameron's putting studio in Carlsbad four years ago.

Speaking in Dubai, 12 months before he won the Desert Classic, McIlroy said: "I'd love to get a chance to chat with him and see what he thinks about everything that went on early in his career and how he handled it and what he thought about it."

If a planned practice round with Mark O'Meara comes to pass at Augusta in April, McIlroy might get to play and chat with Woods.

He'll have to set his alarm clock for some unearthly hour of the morning.