What's Next for Rory McIlroy? A Look at His Six Major Victories

Rory McIlroy has achieved record-breaking wins, a career Grand Slam, and back-to-back victories at The Masters. Let's revisit his six major titles... McIlroy was under intense scrutiny at Congressional Country Club in 2011, following his infamous collapse at The Masters earlier that year. However, he delivered a dominant performance, taking control of the tournament with rounds of 65 and 66 to secure the largest 36-hole lead in US Open history. McIlroy set a record for reaching 10 under at a US Open, finishing with a six-stroke advantage that he extended to eight strokes heading into the final round. The then 22-year-old smashed Tiger Woods' tournament scoring record, ending the week on 16 under, and his eight-shot victory over Jason Day remains the largest winning margin in the tournament's history. McIlroy's winning margin at Kiawah Island in 2012 was the largest in PGA Championship history, breaking Jack Nicklaus' record, and saw him become the youngest player to achieve two major wins since Woods. In 2014, McIlroy laid the foundations for a wire-to-wire victory at Royal Liverpool with a bogey-free opening round, before adding a second-round 66 to take a four-shot lead into the weekend. A third-round 68, including two eagles in his last three holes, gave McIlroy a six-shot lead into the final day. Despite a brief challenge from Sergio Garcia, McIlroy secured the Claret Jug with a one-under 71, enough for a two-shot win over Garcia and Fowler. McIlroy's summer of 2014 was memorable, as he added a WGC-Bridgestone Invitational title to his win at The Open before securing his fourth major success with a narrow win at Valhalla Golf Club. It took McIlroy 11 years to add to his major tally, as he closed out a maiden Masters triumph in 2025 via a dramatic play-off at Augusta National. After double-bogeying the opening hole on Sunday to lose his two-shot lead, McIlroy took control of the tournament before dropping four shots in a four-hole stretch. A remarkable approach shot in the trees set up a two-putt birdie for McIlroy at the 15th, and another birdie at the 17th gave him a one-shot buffer heading to the 72nd hole. Although he missed a five-foot putt for par and slipped into a play-off against Justin Rose, McIlroy made amends by converting a close-range birdie chance to spark emotional celebrations and complete the men's career Grand Slam. McIlroy joined an elite group of players, including Woods, Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Gene Sarazen, who have won all four majors in their careers. After an 11-year wait for a fifth major win, and 16 years of playing at The Masters without success, McIlroy went back-to-back in 2026, becoming the fourth player to achieve this feat and the first since Woods in 2001 and '02. At the halfway stage of the 2026 tournament, it looked like McIlroy would cruise to a convincing victory, taking a six-shot lead into the weekend with a magnificent second-round 65. However, his advantage evaporated by Saturday evening, and he faced a challenge from Cameron Young, who tied for the lead going into Sunday. Despite losing his grip on the lead, McIlroy responded with back-to-back birdies at seven and eight, and successive gains again at 12 and 13 saw him perched at the top once more. McIlroy closed out a narrow one-shot win with a two-putt bogey at 18, avoiding a repeat of another play-off. Will McIlroy enjoy more major success? Watch The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open, and The Open exclusively live on Sky Sports.