Young golfer Rory McIlroy, who features alongside Tiger Woods on the cover of his latest video game, has broken ranks with many players by saying that he would have no qualms about being pictured with the World No.1.

He said: "This is the first time any other golfer has been pictured with Tiger on one of his games. Normally it is just him, so you could say this is a bit of a feather in my cap."

"It's not for me to judge what he's done and he seems to be trying his best to work all that out. But as a golfer he has always been the player I looked up to, the one who set the mark everyone else had to aspire to," The Sun quoted McIlroy, as saying.

"We're here in Florida for the CA Championship and the buzz is Tiger will be back later this month for the Tavistock Cup and the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

"As far as I'm concerned it will be great to have him back. It's certainly going to be interesting to see not just how he plays, but how he handles the situation," he said.

"Everyone will be excited to see him playing golf again. He's got Hank Haney on the range with him and from the reports I've heard he seems to be swinging it well, as good as he ever was," McIlroy said.

McIlory's latest link to Tiger is also an indication of his own fast-growing profile, especially in America, where he has been welcomed with open arms since opting for a full US Tour schedule.

McIlroy, 20, has made his way into the top 10 of the world rankings, and has been widely tipped to eventually succeed Woods as world No 1. (ANI)