What's Left for Rory McIlroy to Accomplish? A Few Ideas.

It has been a signature season for the best golfer of this generation. Rory McIlroy accomplished the massive hurdle in his career this past April with his win at Augusta National, not just by winning the career Grand Slam and finally getting his green jacket, but also ending the majorless run that dated back to 2014.

Some of us (myself definitely included) thought that might open the floodgates for Rory in terms of major performance; the PGA Championship was the next major at a golf course McIlroy has dominated in his career, but the hangover the Masters win seemed to hover around Rory, rightfully so, and his interest in getting back to the form needed to compete and win majors had waned.

Rory has spoken extensively over the last couple of years about the importance of winning an away Ryder Cup as the face of the European team. As a result, his game started to trend again late in the summer, and he was integral in taking down the Americans at Bethpage Black.

Masters? Check. Away Ryder Cup? Got it. The season has been the most important of his career and at the age of 36, you wonder what is next for Rory.

A lot of professional athletes are defined by their accomplishments within the ropes or lines, but that has never seemed to be Rory. He’s a reader and a thinker and a businessman. He has always appeared to be a person who doesn’t want to spend every waking moment of his life thinking about golf.

So, what is the future of Rory as a golfer? What is left to tick off? I’ve listed a few things I think make sense for this post-Slam Rory McIlroy.

An Open Win at the Old Course

We all remember the stories of Rory and the 2022 Open Championship. The balcony he had at the Rusacks overlooking the 18th hole of the Old and how he’d envision his name atop the yellow scoreboard come Sunday evening. Of course, we also remember that Sunday when he couldn’t buy a putt and was chased down and passed by eventual champion Cameron Smith.

Rory’s eyes will be on 2027 when the Open returns to the Old; that is the goal. That is the crown jewel left to one of the most polished careers we have seen from a modern player.

This Jack Nicklaus quote about winning at the Old Course always comes to mind when I think about Rory and how close he has come over the years - “If you're going to be a player people will remember, you have to win The Open at St Andrews.”

Rory knows that quote. I’m sure he’s written it down in his phone a time or two. That is the next goal. This is the goal for Rory as he looks ahead.

Even Without an Open, Just Any Professional Win at the Old Course

Standing on the 18th green at the Old Course holding a trophy has to be one of the coolest feelings a professional golfer can feel. The good news for the pros is the Open rota isn’t the only stop in St. Andrews.

The Alfred Dunhill Links happens each fall and Rory has enjoyed playing that event over the years alongside his dad. Unfortunately for Rory, he’s never won it.

Rory has finished second in the end-of-season DP World Tour event three separate times, never getting over that hurdle. Winning that event at some point alongside pops would be something I’d imagine would feel a lot more special than any other trophy that isn’t a major championship, so that is an easy goal to put on the list.

The All-Time Ryder Cup Points Leader

Thanks to his 3-1-1 run at Bethpage Black, Rory is climbing the all-time points list quickly at the Ryder Cup (it helps he’s gone 7-2-1 in his last two Ryder Cups combined).

Rory is now seven full points behind Sergio Garcia, who leads the list, so you’d imagine if he can make three more teams, he’d likely lock that up.

Considering how uninterested Rory was in the Ryder Cup to start his career and how much it means to him at this point, being known as the greatest Ryder Cup player ever would be bragging rights that Rory would gladly carry around when his career wraps up.

Win at Riviera

It’s tough to find something in golf that Tiger Woods never accomplished (winning an away Ryder Cup is one of those things, interestingly enough), so anything someone like Rory can do that Tiger didn’t would be nice for the resume.

One of those rare things? Winning at Riviera.

Tiger made his PGA TOUR debut at Riviera. He grew up in the area. But he could never conquer one of the best golf courses on TOUR (the closest Tiger ever came was in 1999 when he finished two back of Ernie Els). Rory has been in the same boat, playing solid golf at Riviera but never winning. Considering what the golf course asks (drive the golf ball very, very well), it’s surprising that Rory hasn’t dominated here before but it’s something on the list when you look at things missing for McIlroy.

Win at Royal Melbourne (And Add to his ‘Cathedral Of Golf’ List)

Rory is a golf historian and he’s a course historian. When he won at Pebble Beach earlier this year, he praised the golf course as one of the most important in the world, mentioning the satisfaction that comes from winning at excellent golf courses.

“There's a few what I would call ‘cathedrals of golf,’” McIlroy said after his win. “Here, Augusta, St. Andrews, obviously. Maybe a few more you could add in there. And I had a big fat zero on all of those going in here. So to knock one off of Pebble is very cool.”

Royal Melbourne is definitely in that same vein and Rory has an opportunity this winter to win the Australian Open at one of the five best golf courses in the world.

I think those types of things motivate Rory and adding to his list of cathedrals he’s outlasted is important for someone who cares so much about incredible golf architecture.

Win at Muirfield Village With Jack In Attendance

Again, I think Rory understands the importance of golf history. I believe winning Jack’s tournament while Jack can attend and shake the hand of the champion, matters to these guys.

You don’t always have to agree with the stuff Nicklaus says, but you have to respect the hell out of the foundation he laid down as a professional golfer and a major champion. Rory winning at Muirfield Village would be another notch on his career belt that he currently doesn’t have.

Win A Tough U.S. Open

Early in his career, Rory didn’t possess the game that succeeded in brutal conditions. When you look at his early career major titles, they were all birdie-heavy majors (16-under, 13-under, 17-under and 16-under).

But Rory’s game has changed as he’s evolved. Rory now welcomes a brutal test of golf. I look at the way he played Pinehurst #2 in 2024 as a perfect example of how Rory can contend, and potentially win, major championships that hold par at a high standard.

I think Rory winning a brutal U.S. Open test would be a little like when Kobe Bryant won those titles after the Shaq years in Los Angeles. Sure, Kobe could win titles when it was “easy” alongside one of the most dominant big men in NBA history, but the true test of how great he really was came when he led the teams to “his” championships.

I’d love to see Rory take home one of the upcoming U.S. Opens at a Shinnecock Hills or Winged Foot and remind the world just how much his game has grown in the last decade.

Win an Olympic Gold Medal

Rory’s relationship with golf in the Olympics has been an interesting one. He was one of many to pull out of the event in 2016, citing fears of the Zika virus, and backing up his decision by saying he didn’t have much interest in golf, being involved in the global event.

Then, in 2020, Rory embraced the rings and played great in Japan, losing to C.T. Pan in a seven-player playoff for the bronze medal.

Rory finished T-5 in 2024 in France but never really contended for a medal, so his next crack with be 2028 at Riviera.

With Scottie sitting a single major win (the U.S. Open) away from the career Grand Slam and the newly introduced Golden Slam in golf, Rory could circle that as a goal that I think will gain steam in the decades to come as golf becomes more of a fixture in pro golf than it has been the last 10 years.