Rory McIlroy got the major monkey off his back at the Masters. But now the bigger question remains. How many more? Can he? Can’t he? When the Ulsterman won the 2014 PGA Championship, his fourth in three years and second in that year alone, the world was sure they were watching a grand-slammer and someone who might have a major tally in double digits—if not catch Tiger Woods outright.
Eleven years later, Rory McIlroy is halfway away from touching a double-digit.
And analyst Garret Morrison of Fried Egg Golf doubts if he ever can. Because in eleven years, the game has changed. Both for Rory McIlroy and the game in general. Morrison looks back to 2014, when Rory outmatched the field. Remember Royal Liverpool?
McIlroy was 25 years and 77 days old. His confidence? That of the veterans. His game? That of the legends. He led in all three rounds, carrying over a six-stroke cushion to the final day. Eventually, Rickie Fowler finished second, two strokes behind, but truth be told, it was never close. McIlroy dominated.
The PGA Championship was a tad bit different. He was the reigning world No. 1 at that time. He shot 66-67-67-68. Virtually making no mistake. His last major before an eleven-year dry spell. In 2025, Rory McIlroy won the Masters, but the final round was as tumultuous as it could get.
Morrison explained, “He won the Masters by hitting a bunch of really spectacular, outrageous shots at the right moment. And hitting some bad shots. That’s not a super sustainable model.” Sounds harsh. But Morrison brings up an interesting point. McIlroy almost squandered his chance to don the Green Jacket. The double on the first. The water ball on the 13th, where he attacked the right side of the green and succumbed to Rae’s Creek.
On a better day, Bryson DeChambeau chases him down. On another day, Justin Rose does one better. At a different time, Scottie Scheffler comes to haunt him. So Morrison asked in the Fried Egg Golf podcast, “Can he win a major playing boring golf? The way that Tiger [Woods] did in his prime? … That’s gonna determine, I think, whether he wins three or four more majors, or whether he wins none or one.”
On a better day, Bryson DeChambeau chases him down. On another day, Justin Rose does one better. At a different time, Scottie Scheffler comes to haunt him. So Morrison asked, “Can he win a major playing boring golf? The way that Tiger [Woods] did in his prime? … That’s gonna determine, I think, whether he wins three or four more majors, or whether he wins none or one.”
It’s not just Morrison who has doubts. At the Fore Play Podcast, Cal Clutterbuck posed a similar question. It can go either way for the five-time major winner. Either he goes full Tiger Woods 2001 or 2019.
Can Rory McIlroy go on a tear?
Clutterbuck was more concerned with Rory McIlroy’s mental state than his game. Like Woods, the Ulsterman ended a decade-long drought. So Clutterbuck wonders if McIlroy would plunge into ‘championship hangover’ like Woods did. After the Masters, the 15-time major champion missed the cut at the PGA Championship and could break inside the top ten only once at the Memorial.
“It’s interesting golf because they can… he’s got another one in a couple weeks,” Clutterbuck added, “You know, he could play well, he could play horrible, but I think it’s gonna get interesting.” McIlroy took a break after the Masters and returned to the greens with good friend Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic. Again, he has skipped the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
The Ulsterman will tee off at the Truist Championship next. Last year, McIlroy won at Quail Hollow for his first Tour victory of the season. The Truist Championship begins May 8 at the Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course.
