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Expert picks Spieth remarked, “You could tell it was a harder win — most of the time he makes it look a lot easier. So that obviously was on the forefront of his mind. Something like that has not been done by many people, and there’s a reason why.” Jon Rahm echoed this sentiment, noting the difficulty of McIlroy’s journey. “I think it’s been a very difficult hurdle to overcome, and you could see his emotion towards the end,” Rahm said. “He’s had so many chances. It’s just, it’s never easy. It’s very difficult. I would not be one bit surprised if this lifted a weight off his shoulders that could get him going on another run.” Adding to the excitement is the fact that McIlroy’s first major since achieving the career Grand Slam is taking place at Quail Hollow Country Club. This venue has been a personal favorite for McIlroy, where he has won four times, making him the clear favorite for this week’s tournament. However, as quickly as the narrative shifts to “How many majors can he win now?” McIlroy himself seems to want to savor the moment a bit longer. He wants to appreciate this achievement for what it is. “I still want to create a lot of other highlights and high points, but I’m not sure if any other win will live up to what happened a few weeks ago,” McIlroy said. “I’m still going to set myself goals. I’m still going to try to achieve certain things. But I sit here knowing that that very well could be the highlight of my career.” And why wouldn’t it be? The way McIlroy finally secured the elusive green jacket, showcasing his flaws, talent, and resilience over 72 grueling holes, was a moment of history. It was less about emphatic ecstasy and more about an emotional sigh of relief. McIlroy wants to remember this moment with his own eyes and body, not just as a video clip played for years to come. “I’ve tried not to watch it a lot because I want to remember the feelings,” McIlroy said. “But anytime I have, I well up. I still feel like I want to cry. I’ve never felt a release like that before, and I might never feel a release like that again. That could be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it was a very cool moment.” Listening to McIlroy speak, one wonders if his realization that the 2025 Masters could be his defining moment means he has found something that professional athletes are often taught to avoid: satisfaction. “I have achieved everything that I’ve wanted — I’ve done everything I’ve wanted to do in the game,” he said. “I dreamed as a child of becoming the best player in the world and winning all the majors. I’ve done that. Everything beyond this, for however long I decide to play the game competitively, is a bonus.” Winning the Masters to end his major drought and complete the career Grand Slam put a neatly tied bow on the narrative that had surrounded him. It was a 2-for-1 that felt equal parts preordained and impossible. McIlroy seems to have found not just satisfaction and fulfillment but also perspective. The destination was worth the arduous journey, but it didn’t make it any less taxing. “I think everyone saw how hard having a north star is and being able to get over the line,” McIlroy said. “I feel like I sort of burdened myself with the career Grand Slam stuff, and I want to enjoy this.” In the past, McIlroy has expressed his desire to be considered the best European player to play the game. Only two other Europeans have more majors than he does. He also wants to win an away Ryder Cup, with this year’s event at Bethpage Black giving him that opportunity. However, these goals are secondary to what he achieved at Augusta this year. For McIlroy, whose most impressive trait is his longevity at the top of the game, sheer quantity of wins or majors does not appear to be a priority. “I’ve always said I’m never going to put a number on it. The numbers tell one story, but it’s not — mightn’t be the full story,” he said. “I want to enjoy what I’ve achieved, and I want to enjoy the last decade or whatever of my career.” At 36, it’s easy to forget that McIlroy has been a professional for 18 years. The lack of a Masters took up so much space in his story that, with it now completed, he seems to be hinting at entering a different stage of his career. This stage will also begin to pose the question of how much longer he wants to play. McIlroy has already stated that he will not play Champions Tour golf and that something will have gone terribly wrong if he feels the need to compete at 50 years old. You can see it in the way he is shifting his schedule, playing more tournaments abroad, fewer tournaments overall, and committing to international events such as the Irish Open last year and two upcoming Australian Opens at Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath. Recently, he also mentioned that he no longer cares about where professional golf ends up regarding the LIV-PGA Tour negotiations. But when it comes to golf in this new reality, McIlroy — who is undoubtedly playing the best golf in the world right now — insists that he will not change his attitude or his approach. On Thursday morning, he will walk to the first tee of a tournament and begin his quest for a victory like he has done hundreds of times. Nothing about what he has done before will change what he is trying to accomplish. Perhaps he will feel lighter, perhaps he will not put as much pressure on his game, or perhaps he’ll surprise himself come Sunday, if he finds himself in the hunt, and feel a modicum of the competitive juice he felt five Sundays ago. It is not that McIlroy’s competitiveness will be diluted in any way now, but rather that, as he sits atop the mountain that took nearly 11 years to climb, McIlroy is telling us that with a Masters and a career Grand Slam now on his résumé, he has found his version of golfing nirvana. “It’s everything I thought it would be,” McIlroy said.

May 14, 2025
2:11 pm