Golf fans will be astonished by a surprising remark Rory McIlroy has made regarding his 2025 season.
McIlroy enjoyed the best year of his professional career last season, finally completing the career Grand Slam in the process.
Along with taking The Masters, he also claimed wins at The Players, the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and the Irish Open.
The 36-year-old also played a crucial role in Luke Donald’s European side that defeated the United States at the Ryder Cup in New York.
Despite achieving considerable success, the Northern Irishman made a surprising comparison when downplaying the quality of his play in 2025.
Rory McIlroy surprised by statistical review of 2025 season
Before teeing off at the Dubai Desert Classic this week, McIlroy shared that he had recently taken a closer look at his statistics.
The 36-year-old concluded that he actually performed better over the two seasons prior to his historic campaign in 2025.
McIlroy admitted that while he hit higher peaks last year – including his win at Augusta National – his play was not as steady week-to-week.
“I went through a stats review maybe three or four weeks ago after Australia, and stats-wise, if you looked at my 2023 and 2024, they were better than my 2025, which is a good thing.
“The highs in ’25 were incredibly high, and obviously that’s what made it the year that it was.”
“But at the same time, there are certain things that I’d like to tidy up and get a little bit better at this year. But that’s constantly evolving.”
Rory McIlroy focusing on iron play ahead of 2026 season
McIlroy has seen his putting game reach new heights, consistently ranking among the best in the world with the flatstick.
However, he is looking to sharpen his iron play, which dropped off towards the end of last year after a strong start.
“I’ve turned myself into one of the best putters in the world and my iron play maybe fell off at the back end of last year. It was very good for the first three or four months.
“So it’s just little things like that, and looking where you can maintain a high level and try to get a little bit better, and if you do that, this stuff usually takes care of itself.
“The wins will come, and getting into contention, and then it’s really about just handling your nerves and the situation at that point.”
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