Rory McIlroy is one of the best golfers to have graced the game, regardless of what happens between now and the time he decides to end his playing career.
McIlroy has won 30 PGA Tour titles, 21 DP World Tour events and six major championships throughout his career to date.
He is also one of the most successful Ryder Cup players in history, having played on six winning teams.
Rory McIlroy has achieved almost everything there is to achieve in the game of golf and all that remains for him now is to enhance his legacy in the game as one of the greatest golfers to have ever lived.
McIlroy is set to fall short of the minimum 15-event PGA Tour requirement this season, as he begins to seriously trim down his schedule.
The 37-year-old plans to play more golf around the world, with the ambition of adding more national opens to his trophy collection.
After he won The Masters in 2025, and subsequently completed the career Grand Slam, he had a totally new level of freedom when it came to planning out his playing schedule.
Rory McIlroy may now struggle to win any of the majors outside of The Masters
McIlroy’s main goal over the next 5–10 years is obviously to win as many majors as possible.
The Northern Irishman has come to the conclusion that playing a limited PGA Tour schedule will give him the best chance of achieving his goals.
However, that is exactly why he may struggle at three of the majors outside of The Masters.
Let’s take a look at McIlroy’s normal PGA Tour schedule. He plays regularly from February through April, and almost always competes at Pebble Beach, Riviera, Bay Hill and TPC Sawgrass.
Playing in those four huge tournaments enables McIlroy to be competition-ready in time for The Masters.
However, the same cannot be said for the other three major championships.
Since The Masters, McIlroy has played in just four events. He played in the Truist Championship the week before the PGA Championship and the Memorial two weeks before The US Open.
Leading up to The Open Championship, he will have played just one event since The US Open – The Genesis Scottish Open this week.
Rory McIlroy might not be tournament-ready for three majors
Moving forward, taking McIlroy’s limited schedule into account, he may well be undercooked by the time The PGA Championship, The US Open, and The Open roll around.
It’s extremely difficult to turn up to majors without many competitive reps and contend, let alone win.
Of course, Rory McIlroy is one of the most talented golfers to have ever lived, so he may well end up proving me wrong.
We will find out in a few years’ time whether McIlroy’s new approach helps or hinders his pursuit of further major championships.
For comparison, Scottie Scheffler has played in seven tournaments since The Masters, Matt Fitzpatrick has played in eight and Cam Young has played in seven.
McIlroy will know himself next season if his new playing schedule is conducive to winning major championships.
Who knows, he may win The Open next week and immediately put my theory to bed!
However, in my opinion, there is a good chance that he will underperform in the final three majors each season moving forward, at least by his own standards.
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