Win the Masters? Check. End an unfathomable, 11-year major drought? Check. Become the sixth golfer to win the career grand slam? Check.
In some of the craziest 144 hours in sporting history, Rory McIlroy went from failure to immortality.
McIlroy finally got the moment he has been waiting a lifetime forGettyNo longer will people talk about the most talented golfer of a generation who failed to fulfil his true potential.
Instead, they are guaranteed to remember him for the 2025 Masters, when more than a decade of pain and suffering was finally overcome.
The final round was a microcosm of McIlroy’s career as the Northern Irishman took fans on a rollercoaster of unexpected twists and turns, rotating freely between the stupid and the sublime.
Anyone who does not ‘get’ the transcendent love for McIlroy throughout the game need only watch the outpouring of raw emotion on the 18th green.
This was more than sporting drama at its finest: it was the relatable story of a human who – despite everything – finally did it.
It might have looked like the end game for McIlroy. But, if anything, it is just the start.
“You can’t win all four majors in a year if you haven’t won the first one,” McIlroy joked during a Sky Sports interview on Sunday.
“There’s a lot of golf left to play. The next major is at Quail Hollow, which is a golf course I’ve loved for the most part of my career.
“The Open is at Portrush. The Ryder Cup is at Bethpage. There’s a lot of golf left this year and I’ve got off to a great start.
“I can’t wait to keep it going.”
McIlroy was shaking as he released 11 years of pent-up emotionDespite more than 17 years as a professional, McIlroy is only 35 – and playing arguably the most complete golf of his entire career.
As one storyline ties up its loose ends, another unfolds: could this be a truly historic year for the world number two?
No golfer in history has ever completed a ‘Calendar Slam’ – winning all four majors in the same year – although Tiger Woods did win all four in a row across 2000 and 2001.
Suggesting McIlroy will actually do that would be hyperbolic, but he will be considered the overwhelming favourite heading into two of the remaining three majors this season.
With the monkey finally off his back and two big PGA Tour wins already under his belt in 2025, Sunday at Augusta might just be the start…
PGA Championship at Quail Hollow (May 15-18)
McIlroy’s record in Charlotte, North Carolina is nothing short of pure dominance.
Watch out for McIlroy at Quail Hollow next monthGettyQuail Hollow hosts an annual PGA Tour event, formerly known as the Wells Fargo Championship before rebranding into the Truist Championship.
McIlroy has won that event four times, along with one runner-up finish and four separate top tens.
The five-time major winner has broken the course record at Quail Hollow twice, first shooting 62 in 2010 before going one better with a 61 in 2015.
A liberated McIlroy at Quail Hollow is a dangerous thought.
The Open at Royal Portrush (July 17-20)
Recency bias would suggest the most heartbreaking moment of McIlroy’s major drought was the US Open defeat to Bryson DeChambeau at Pinehurst in June 2024.
But nothing crushed the Northern Irishman more than missing the cut in front of an adoring hometown crowd in 2019.
McIlroy will have the whole place rooting for him in PortrushGettyMcIlroy broke the course record as a 16-year-old, meaning that when the oldest major returned to Northern Ireland for the first time in 68 years, he was expected to deliver a fairytale.
However, it was more of a horror story, as a disastrous quad-bogey at the first saw him card an eight-over-par 79, all-but ending his championship before it even started.
A stunning charge on Friday saw him shoot an outrageous round of 65, captivating an electrified crowd who suddenly dared to dream.
While he would still miss the cut, it showed what McIlroy is capable of doing at Portrush when the pressure is off.
Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black (September 26-28)
McIlroy started righting the wrongs of his career in 2023 – and he is not done yet.
The European superstar was in tears after his side were hammered by the Americans at the Ryder Cup in 2021.
The Ryder Cup has been McIlroy’s greatest joy in recent years before the MastersGettyHowever, he would emerge as the most valuable player in Rome, helping to snatch back the coveted trophy – before sending out a battle cry.
Speaking immediately after Europe’s victory was confirmed, McIlroy said: “I’ve said it for six or seven years to anyone who will listen, one of the biggest accomplishments in golf right now is winning an away Ryder Cup.
“And that’s what we’re going to do at Bethpage.”
Despite being part of Europe’s stunning victory at Medinah in 2012, an away Ryder Cup victory is one of two things remaining on his career bucket list.
Speaking in January earlier this year, McIlroy said: “Winning the Masters, winning an Olympic medal and another away Ryder Cup, they are my three goals for the rest of my career.”
He will have to wait until 2028 for the next chance at an Olympic medal.
But by the end of 2025, McIlroy could be two-thirds of the way to the closure that has evaded him for eternity.
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