McIlroy's critics will no doubt continue to lay the blame for his poor form at his off-course activities.
Last year he gave US President Barack Obama swing tips during a state banquet at the White House, met the Queen at Newbury races and was invited on court at a packed Madison Square Garden to hit a few shots with Maria Sharapova.
He threw the opening pitch at the Major League Baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and Houston, a traditional honour for the reigning US Open champion before he defends his crown.
Rounds of 74 and 79 in the BMW PGA Championship led McIlroy to confess he may have taken his "eye off the ball," but just a few months later he won his second major title - again by eight shots - in the US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island and finished the year with a string of wins and top of the money list on both sides of the Atlantic.
January this year brought the confirmation of the worst-kept secret in golf with McIlroy's multi-million pound switch to Nike, but that was followed by a missed cut in Abu Dhabi, a first-round loss to Shane Lowry in the Accenture Match Play and then walking off the course midway through the second round in his defence of the Honda Classic.
There have been four top-10s but finishes of 25th and 41st in the year's first two majors, the US Open also bringing incidents of club throwing and bending a nine iron out of shape in a final round of 76 at Merion.
It is therefore no wonder that three-time major winner Padraig Harrington believes an "erratic genius" like McIlroy must learn to accept the highs and not worry about the lows in his game for the good of his career.
"If he does that, there will be fewer lows and more highs," Harrington said.
McIlroy fans will be hoping another high is just around the corner.
