What's Next for Rory McIlroy to Achieve After Career Grand Slam

Believe it or not, Rory McIlroy has tried not to watch the highlights from his victory at the Masters last month that earned him a long-awaited career Grand Slam. 

“When I rewatch a lot of things back, I then just remember the visuals of the TV rather than what I was feeling and what I was seeing through my own eyes,” McIlroy explained on Wednesday ahead of the 2025 PGA Championship. “So I haven't tried to watch it back too much.”

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“I've never felt a release like that before, and I might never feel a release like that again,” he added. “That could be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it was a very cool moment.”

McIlroy will still set goals for himself, but he’s not going to “put a number on it.” There’s still a lot he wants to achieve, but he’s self-aware enough to know that any other win may not live up to his triumph at Augusta National. If that’s the highlight of his career, he’s content, if not satisfied. Had McIlroy completed the slam earlier in his career, you genuinely wonder whether he’d feel the same way or not. 

“I feel like I sort of burdened myself with the Career Grand Slam stuff, and I want to enjoy this,” said McIlroy. “I want to enjoy what I've achieved, and I want to enjoy the last decade or whatever of my career, and I don't want to burden myself by numbers or statistics.”

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McIlroy isn’t weeping because there are no more worlds to conquer. Instead he’s basking in his accomplishments and enjoying the fruits of his labor. He seems genuinely content with his career as it is, but still wants to add to his empire.

So, what’s next? Looking at stats and Wikipedia results pages may seem like McIlroy is at the top of the game, with no more mountains to climb. McIlroy has talked in the past about wanting to be the best European or International player in the game’s history, and he could take a big step towards that title this season.

The 36-year-old enters this week at Quail Hollow as one of the clear favorites due to his four past victories at the Charlotte club, not to mention the fact he’s playing some of (if not the) best golf of his career. Already this season McIlroy has won at Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass, and Augusta National, and hasn’t finished worse than T-17 in eight PGA Tour starts. 

A third PGA Championship victory this week would put him T-3 alongside Brooks Koepka in the championship’s stroke-play era (since 1958), one behind Tiger Woods and two behind Jack Nicklaus. A sixth major championship would tie him for 12th all-time alongside Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo, and Phil Mickelson, and put his sights firmly on Harry Vardon (7) and Gary Player (9), the only other non-Americans who would still be ahead of him. 

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The next major on the schedule is the U.S. Open in June at Oakmont, a course that would fit his current game well. Then in July, the Open Championship returns to Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland. It’s not out of bounds to dream of a season Grand Slam (or Super Slam, if you care to include his win at the Players). And sure, he missed the cut in both the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont and 2019 Open at Royal Portrush, but he’s a far better player than he was at either of those championships.

McIlroy is T-18 on the PGA Tour’s all-time wins list at 29, tied with Gene Littler and, once again, Lee Trevino. There’s just one non-American ahead of him: Vijay Singh in 14th with 34 wins. I think it’s safe to assume Rory will rattle off at least five more wins on Tour.

Don’t forget it’s also a Ryder Cup year. Barring an unforeseen circumstance, McIlroy will make his eighth appearance for the Europeans at Bethpage this fall. That’ll put him just three more starts away from tying Lee Westwood (11) as the most-capped player for the Euros. He currently boasts a 16-13-4 record with 18 points, 10.5 behind all-time points leader Sergio Garcia. If McIlroy plays competitively for another decade, both marks are within reach.

Whether he wins another five majors, as predicted by Johnson Wagner on a recent episode of the Fried Egg Golf Podcast, or ends his career on his current total of five, he’ll be happy with his career and stature in the game. 

“Everything beyond this, for however long I decide to play the game competitively, is a bonus.”