Three-time major champion Rory McIlroy has set his sights on Adam Scott's world No.1 spot as he returns to competitive golf after his British Open triumph.
The Northern Irishman is refusing to dine out for too long on being just a Masters win away from a career grand slam, promptly setting his sights on this week's World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club.
While Scott has form at the venue, having won the event in 2011, McIlroy is confident he can win his first WGC title and wrestle top spot from the Australian.
The 25-year-old McIlroy would return to the top spot for the fifth time in his career if he is victorious and Scott finishes outside the top five, his first return to the top since March 2013.
"I'm enjoying being The Open champion, but that's not all I want to be this year. I want to do more," McIlroy said.
"World No.1 is a big goal of mine. I've never won a World Golf Championship. That's another thing. I've got three majors but never won one of these and that's another thing I'd like to knock off the list."
After he claimed the 2012 PGA Championship, his last major, he went on to win two US PGA tour playoff events in a hot streak.
"Hoylake is a springboard. I feel like I've got a lot of momentum, and I can carry that through to the end of the year and hopefully ride that and play some really good golf," he said.
McIlroy has three top 10s in five starts at Firestone and is trending upwards given his recent form and the fact rain has softening the long tough course.
"It does seem that this course is going to set up well for me this week," he admitted.
"It's a long golf course anyway, and it's playing just a bit longer with all the rain that they've had.
"I feel like my game's in good shape that I can definitely have a chance."
McIroy also revealed his place in golfing immortality may never have materialised as he once tried to quit the sport, but only lasted three days.
"I was ready to give it up when I was 17," he said.
"I just won the Mullingar Scratch Cup, and I remember the drive home with my dad and I said to him, `I don't like this anymore. I don't enjoy it. I just won, and I don't know, I'm not happy, I'm not excited'.
"I went back home and didn't play golf for about three days before realising `actually, I really like this game'. I was just an impulsive teenager going through hormonal issues."
While McIlroy is all the rage in golf once more, the defending champion Tiger Woods needs a big week just to push towards a place in the US PGA tour playoffs.
With time running out to get inside the top 125, Woods sits in 215th after an injury-plagued year.
Scott leads six Australians in the lucrative no cut event, joined by Jason Day, Matt Jones, Steven Bowditch, Marc Leishman and John Senden.
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