McIlroy's Next Major Challenge: New Targets After Masters Victory

Following his successful title defense at The Masters, Rory McIlroy is reassessing his major goals, with opportunities to create more golfing history. Having completed the career Grand Slam and becoming a back-to-back winner at The Masters, McIlroy is now alongside Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods as the only players to successfully defend at The Masters. McIlroy's latest victory leaves him with six majors, the same number as Faldo, Trevino, and Mickelson, and tied for 12th in the all-time list of victories. With his Grand Slam win, McIlroy realized it was not the destination but part of the journey, and he still has things he wants to achieve. Potential targets for McIlroy include becoming a double Grand Slam champion, winning all four majors on multiple occasions, and surpassing Faldo as the most successful European golfer in the modern era. McIlroy's next major challenge could be to win the US Open, with the 2027 event held at Pebble Beach in California, a venue where he started his PGA Tour season with a victory in 2025. He has also impressed at the next two Open venues, posting a top-four finish at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in 2017 and taking third at St Andrews' Old Course in 2022. Only Nicklaus and Woods have won all four majors on multiple occasions, and McIlroy is a long way from that, but a double Grand Slam is a potential target. McIlroy is not putting a number on his major wins, but he certainly doesn't want to stop here. With six majors, McIlroy is already Europe's greatest-ever golfer, given he is the only male from the continent to complete the career Grand Slam. One more major would see McIlroy surpass Faldo as the most successful European golfer in the modern era, matching Harry Vardon's seven titles. McIlroy can set his own landmark by becoming the first player to win The Masters three years running. All four players to successfully defend the Masters title were unable to follow suit a year later. Winning any major is tough, and going back-to-back is increasingly rare. McIlroy joked that "you can't win all four majors in a year if you haven't won the first one," then failed to contend at the PGA Championship or the US Open before ending tied-seventh on home soil at The Open. Should McIlroy add to his major tally at the PGA Championship next month, speculation over a possible Calendar Slam will gather more momentum. Next year marks the centenary edition of the Ryder Cup, where McIlroy will likely play an integral role in Team Europe's push for a third consecutive victory over the United States. His legacy, like captain Donald, in the Ryder Cup is already confirmed, with McIlroy set for multiple more appearances in the years ahead and destined to be captain at some stage. McIlroy's game will age well, with his powerful hitting and good short game, and he will still be one of the biggest hitters when he loses a bit of age. Scheffler has been the dominant force in world golf over the past four years, winning 20 times on the PGA Tour, including four majors, during that period, but McIlroy's last victory pulls him closer to the American in the battle to be world No 1. McIlroy has spent a combined 122 weeks at world No 1 across nine different stints in his career, although he has not held top spot since losing it to Scheffler in February 2023. The PGA Championship, US Open, and The Open are still to come, with McIlroy now working towards new major targets. "I have the opportunity to do them all," McIlroy told Sky Sports. "I've won two Masters, two PGAs, a chance to win two Opens, two US Opens. I said last year after the Grand Slam everything else is the cherry on top, and it is. Getting over that hurdle makes the next few years of my career just have potential."