What lies ahead for Rory McIlroy this season following Masters victory?
By Phil Casey, PA Golf Correspondent
Rory McIlroy’s thrilling victory in the Masters made him just the sixth player to complete a career grand slam of men’s major championships.
Here, we look at what else could be on the agenda for the five-time major winner this season.
McIlroy could be forgiven for taking a few weeks off following the nerve-shredding climax at Augusta National, but the next major is just a month away and he is currently scheduled to defend the Zurich Classic title he won with Shane Lowry next week in New Orleans. McIlroy is also the defending champion of the Truist Championship (formerly the Wells Fargo Championship) from May 8-11.
The Truist Championship is taking place at Philadelphia Cricket Club due to regular venue Quail Hollow hosting the US PGA Championship. McIlroy already has four victories at Quail Hollow under his belt and carded a closing 65 last year to win by five shots. McIlroy missed the cut when the US Open was last held at this year’s venue of Oakmont in 2016 and also suffered an early exit from the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush. However, he has recorded six straight top 10s in the US Open and was second in both 2023 and 2024, while he set the course record of 61 at Portrush as a 16-year-old amateur.
McIlroy felt he had let his team-mates down in the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits as he suffered three heavy defeats before beating Xander Schauffele in the singles, after which he broke down in tears during a television interview and admitted he could not wait for a shot at redemption in Rome. A career-best performance in Italy – with four wins from five matches – duly helped Europe regain the trophy but McIlroy was quick to target a successful defence in 2025. “I think the hardest thing in golf is to win an away Ryder Cup,” he said. “And we’re going to do that at Bethpage.”
McIlroy finished the 2024 season in style by winning the DP World Tour Championship to claim his sixth Race to Dubai title, joining the late Seve Ballesteros in second place on the all-time list behind eight-time winner Colin Montgomerie. “I’ve really made it a priority over the last few years to give myself the best chance coming into the end of the year to win the Race to Dubai,” McIlroy said. “I don’t see that being any different for the foreseeable future. I’m going to try to chase Monty down.” Victory in the Masters took him top of the standings from just his second counting event.
Golfers do not have a great record when it comes to the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, with only Dai Rees (1957) and Sir Nick Faldo (1989) coming out on top. McIlroy himself finished second behind Lewis Hamilton after winning two major titles in 2014, but his Masters win has seen him made an odds-on favourite ahead of World Darts Championship winner Luke Littler.