London, Sep. 23 : Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, who recently won the U. S. Open, has claimed that American golfer Tiger Woods would never again rule the sport, as he did nearly a decade ago.

McIlroy, ranked No 3 in the world, said: "We saw the best of Tiger in 2000 and 2001. I don''t think golf can be played any better than that."

"He didn''t even need to play that well to win tournaments - he won the US Open by 15 shots, the Open by eight - so I think we''ve seen the best of him, but that''s not to say he won''t win again," the Daily mail quoted Woods, as saying.

"But it (getting back to No 1) will be difficult for him because the fields are so much deeper. He set the benchmark and that''s where we''re all trying to get to. I don''t think anybody has got there yet but we''re getting closer," he added.

McIlroy, on the other hand, is the fresh face of the future. He is 22 and has an equally high profile girlfriend in tennis star Caroline Wozniacki and next year he heads back to the sunshine of the US Tour.

Next week McIlroy plays in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. (ANI)