Rory McIlroy’s trials and tribulations at Augusta National have been as well documented as those of almost any player at any golf course.
McIlroy famously fell apart in the final round at the 2011 Masters and couldn’t win the Green Jacket in his next 13 attempts, either.
The Northern Irishman finally did it last month after a playoff against Justin Rose, and simultaneously completed the career Grand Slam.
He has now achieved virtually everything possible in the sport and could retire today as a top 10 player of all time.
Now, European Ryder Cup teammate Jon Rahm has explained why McIlroy’s career could’ve been very different had he won in 2011.
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Jon Rahm thinks Rory McIlroy could have won plenty more majors
McIlroy won four majors by 2014, and was on a similar trajectory to Tiger Woods, yet it took him 11 years to get another one.
Rahm recently admitted that had McIlroy achieved the 2011 Masters, he’d have plenty more than five majors to his name by now.
However, the world number two still has lots of time to add to his already-stellar career, with the very realistic possibility of emulating what Xander Schauffele did last season and winning two majors in quick succession.
“To be honest, if that Masters in ’11 had gone his way, I think he would have achieved so much more than he has already,” Rahm said in his press conference before the PGA Championship.
“I think it’s been a very difficult hurdle to overcome, and you could see his emotion towards the end, just because his first real chance to win a major, and how it went down.
“I understand he won the U.S. Open shortly after by a record margin, but every time he went to Augusta, that was on his mind. It’s funny to me, when you see Rory’s game, every time I went down to Augusta National, I’m like, if there’s ever a golf course that is perfect for this man who can hit a high draw on command better than anybody else, has great hands and great touch, it’s him.
“He’s had so many chances. It’s just, it’s never easy. It’s very difficult. I would not be one bit surprised if this lifted a weight off his shoulders that could get him going on another run, a bit like Xander did last year. Wins one, gets another one, gets in contention many times, like Scottie [Scheffler] and many other players have done. A player of his caliber, you never know.”
Jon Rahm comments on potentially completing the career Grand Slam
Albeit unlikely, Rahm has the ability to join McIlroy on the elite list of players to achieve the career Grand Slam.
Rahm has already won the Masters and the US Open, so he needs to win the Open Championship and the PGA Championship to seal the deal.
At 30 years of age, he probably has at least another decade to do it, though he says he’s entirely focused on getting to three at the moment, and he’s not fussed about which one comes next.
“Yeah, of course. What is it, six people now in history that have been able to do it? Yeah. I would love to do it. Obviously it’s not easy,” Rahm added.
“I think obviously it would be a lot more on my mind if I were to win a third different one, kind of like Jordan has been able to do, but as in right now, if I ever had a thought, I’ll focus more on quantity of majors rather than which ones obviously, in the sense of let’s say I never achieve it, I’d rather have a situation like Sir Nick Faldo where he has six of two of them instead of having maybe three different ones, if that makes sense.
“Now, if you get all four of them, and if you won each one once, I think it’s so significant that you might take that over six. But as in right now, I’d rather just think more about number three, and if it happens to be The Open or the PGA, then I’ll focus on a possible Grand Slam. But as of right now, I don’t want to think about it too much. But of course, I think it’s a goal for all of us who play the game.”
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