The salt and pepper flecks in his hair provide evidence of an ageing process of sorts, that time waits for no man. He is soon 37, after all. Yet, Rory McIlroy’s future as the Northern Irishman moves forward from this latest addition to his legacy is one where more Major titles – and certainly green jackets – surely await.
McIlroy’s achievement in winning back-to-back Masters had a domino effect, becoming just the fourth man – following Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods – to successfully defend at Augusta National and, also, to join Faldo on six career Majors, now tied as the most by European players in the modern era. Harry Vardon’s seven (six Opens and one US Open) were achieved from 1896 to 1914, before the modern Grand Slam came to be.
What’s next for the Holywood star? Most immediately, the run of Majors in the quick-fire season takes him to the US PGA Championship at Aronimink in the suburbs of Philadelphia next month, then the US Open at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, New York, with the final Major of the season at Royal Birkdale on England’s western seaboard in July.
Looking further ahead, the 2027 schedule takes McIlroy – and the rest – to a number of iconic venues, back of course to Augusta National for the Masters, but also to Pebble Beach for the US Open and to the Old Course at St Andrews for the 155th Open.
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Other targets on his hitlist include claiming another DP World Tour order of merit. McIlroy’s win in the Masters moved him up to second, behind Patrick Reed, in the season-long standings on the Race to Dubai in his quest to match the record eight of Colin Montgomerie. McIlroy, who has won for the past four seasons, is currently on seven. Another box to tick, as it were.
It is the Majors, however, which are the focal point of McIlroy’s ambitions. And, while it was unusual that he had three weeks off before this sixth career Major win, a combination of recovering from a back injury but also not particularly liking the venues for the tournaments on the PGA Tour in that period along with his duties as returning Masters champion, McIlroy’s plotting and planning will continue to be with the next Major in mind, especially at this meaty part of the season.
For all of McIlroy’s physical attributes, and a quantum improvement in his short game and putting, as emphasised in closing out his second Masters success on Sunday, with vital par saves on 16 and 17, the mental side of his game has improved exponentially with a tip of the cap given by the champion to his sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella.
“Bob and I correspond every day. We talked a couple of days ago, and he sent me a note last night, just a couple little reminders of things,” recalled McIlroy.
One of McIlroy’s strengths is also a willingness to reach out for advice, none more so than the relationship which has developed with Nicklaus, the all-time Major winner with 18 to his name.
In the years between 2011 and 2025 when McIlroy’s pursuit of the green jacket, ultimately to complete the career Grand Slam, the meeting between the two at The Bears Club in Florida formed a strong part of developing the understanding of how to win when it mattered.
“When I’ve talked to Jack Nicklaus over the years how he prepared for Majors, and he would go the week before, and he would simulate a tournament. He’d play one ball for four days, shoot scores. So then when he got to the tournament, it felt second nature to him. I did a little bit of that leading up to here, and I think that’s certainly a good way to prepare going into the next Majors,” said McIlroy, which would indicate plans to travel to play Aronimink – which has only hosted one PGA previously, in 1962, and which last staged a PGA Tour in 2018 when it hosted the BMW Championship – as part of his preparations.
On winning his first Masters to complete the Grand Slam last year, McIlroy talked of reaching his Everest and clearly struggled for a time in the aftermath, even in the remaining Majors, before rediscovering his mojo as Europe’s talisman at the Ryder Cup in Bethpage.
“I felt like the Grand Slam was the destination, and I realised it wasn’t. I’m on this journey ... I just won my sixth Major, and I feel like I’m in a really good spot with my game and my body. I don’t want to put a number on it, but I feel like this win is just a part of the journey. I still have things I want to achieve, but I still want to enjoy it as well.
“I’ve waited so long to win the Masters, and all of a sudden I win two in a row. I still want to enjoy it. I’ve got a couple of weeks off before I go back to play competitive golf, but I don’t think I’ll go through that lull of motivation or the sort of things that I was feeling last year post winning this tournament.”
As things stand, McIlroy’s legacy is one of being the greatest European player, the only one to achieve the Grand Slam and level with Faldo on six in the modern era. Now, more than ever, it would seem like the blockbuilding will continue for quite some time.
