Rory McIlroy still hungry for more golf majors: “I have a lot left to give”

Rory McIlroy, one of only six golfers to complete the career Grand Slam, is hungry for more success.

The Northern Irishman, who turns 37 next week, won his sixth major last month, successfully defending his Masters crown by holding off world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler by a single stroke.

McIlroy’s triumph at Augusta was followed shortly by another accolade: the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award, recognising the end of his 11-year wait to complete the career Grand Slam at the 2025 Masters.

The two-time Olympian, who needed more than a decade to win his first Green Jacket, said he still has "a lot left to give" and wants to add more trophies to his glittering cabinet.

“I always described [completing the Grand Slam] as the destination – that’s where I wanted to get to,” McIlroy said in a Laureus interview on Friday (1 May).

“But I’m still competitive, I have a lot left to give. It took me a while, but I had to reframe my goals and think about, ‘What’s next?’

“That was my fifth major, I just got my sixth and I feel like I can keep adding to that tally. I’m at a point in my career where I have to target the bigger events, the four major championships, the Ryder Cup. Trying to add to that number is something that's really important to me.”

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McIlroy draws inspiration from sporting greats across generations

The golf star said he drew inspiration from athletes from other sports, including tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who found success deep into their careers.

“I think of Novak [Djokovic] and Roger and Rafa in tennis, or I look at [Lionel] Messi or [Cristiano] Ronaldo in soccer, I look at Tom Brady in American football. I take inspiration from those guys and what they were able to achieve later into their careers," McIlroy said.

The World No. 2 praised Nadal, saying the Beijing 2008 Olympic gold medallist offered him words of encouragement during his recent victory at Augusta, where he became the first repeat men's champion since Tiger Woods in 2001-02.

“I saw Rafa a lot at Augusta and to have his support… he'd leave me little voice notes at the end of every day and it's really cool when you have one of the absolute legends of sport cheering you on like that," McIlroy recalled.

"And him knowing what it feels like to be in that position – that's really cool."

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