Rory McIlroy, the 35-year-old golf star, is setting his sights on an ambitious goal for 2025: a victory at The Masters.
He aims to secure his fifth major championship win and join a prestigious group, including the likes of Tiger Woods. In the past, McIlroy has been close to such a win, including a runner-up finish at Augusta in 2022 and a late-stage slip at Pinehurst during the US Open.
These difficult moments in his career are fueling his current drive to complete a career grand slam, focusing specifically on claiming a win at The Masters in 2025.
Rory McIlroy’s career goals now revolve around claiming The Masters title, making this a crucial milestone in his hunt for a career grand slam. This obsession has become his top priority, guiding him in organizing his practice and tournament schedule for the upcoming year.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland on the 17th hole during the final round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club on January 19, 2025 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland on the 17th hole during the final round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club on January 19, 2025 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Pedro Salado/Getty Images
“Winning The Masters, winning an Olympic medal and another away Ryder Cup, they are my three goals for the rest of my career,” McIlroy revealed to BBC Sport.
Reflecting on his career so far, McIlroy has only grown from being so “agonizingly close” to the wins he’s fighting for. He sees these experiences as areas ripe for improvement, particularly in his short game around the greens at Augusta.
“Augusta is Augusta. I’ve gone through my stats and there are a couple of things that were pointed out to me that I could definitely get better at – certain little shots around the greens.”
As McIlroy prepares for his chance at The Masters, he’s also recognized for placing in the top ten at the tournament seven times, joining an exclusive list of players nearing the completion of a career grand slam—an honor that only five men in history have achieved.
In preparation for this, his approach focusses on self-focus and adaptability.
“I’ve realized that all I can control is myself. What’s right for me right now is to fully focus on myself and to get the best out of myself and get back to winning the biggest tournaments in the world.”
McIlroy’s impressive record only continues to grow. He will begin his PGA Tour season at Pebble Beach. And earlier in 2024, he saw remarkable success by winning his sixth Race to Dubai title and matching Seve Ballesteros’ record of European Tour money list wins. Last year was especially strong, with McIlroy clinching victory at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow.
Now, he is focusing on achieving his goals, prioritizing major tournaments, and selecting key events in places like the Middle East, Ireland, and Scotland.
McIlroy’s determination sees him look beyond The Masters to include his deep-rooted ambition for Ryder Cup success. As a key member of the European team, he addressed the challenges of facing a strong American team on their home turf at Bethpage Black.
“You have heard me say this so many times, but one of the greatest achievements in the game right now is to win an away Ryder Cup and we have an opportunity to do that this year,” McIlroy said.
McIlroy looks ahead:
“I’ve been agonizingly close for the past few years, without being able to get it done and that is the main focus of this year.
“All of my practice, all of my prep, even the tournaments that I’m playing, it’s all geared towards being ready for those four events.”
McIlroy remains motivated – could 2025 be his year?
A legjobb élmény biztosítása érdekében olyan technológiákat használunk, mint a cookie-k az eszközadatok tárolására és/vagy eléréséhez. Ha beleegyezik ezekbe a technológiákba, akkor olyan adatokat dolgozhatunk fel ezen az oldalon, mint a böngészési viselkedés vagy az egyedi azonosítók. A hozzájárulás elmulasztása vagy visszavonása bizonyos funkciókat és funkciókat hátrányosan érinthet.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
