There is no question that the greatest golfing moment of the year came on the 18th green at Augusta National in April as Rory McIlroy finally won The Masters and completed the Career Grand Slam.
Rory McIlroy confirmed his place in the pantheon of the greatest golfers of all time by winning The Masters. The Northern Irishman secured his fifth major title in dramatic fashion.
In fact, the final round at Augusta National perfectly summed up McIlroy’s pursuit of a major triumph over the last decade. He seemed determined to not get across the line and did everything he could to sabotage his chances of victory.
Tommy Fleetwood says Rory McIlroy is the best golfer of his generation
However, a birdie in the playoff with Justin Rose was enough to give McIlroy the victory he craved for most of his life.
Rick Shiels makes a prediction about Rory McIlroy following his Masters win
It took some time for McIlroy to recover from the emotional toll of what happened at the first major of the year. But he still managed to win the Irish Open, help Europe win the Ryder Cup and retain his Race to Dubai title on the DP World Tour.
And he has been backed for further success, particularly when he returns to Augusta National.
Speaking on The Rick Shiels Golf Show, Rick Shiels believes that McIlroy will not be one and done at The Masters.
“”I really think now that Rory has won The Masters this year, I really do think he is going to continue to win more Masters. I really do,” he said.
“It has been talked about for so long about how that place suits him so much, and he’s not managed to win there.
“I think now that he has that green jacket and he’s rocking it, he will want to win multiple green jackets.”
The chances of someone catching Jack Nicklaus’ tally of 18 majors assessed
It is frightening to think that McIlroy is still 13 majors away from just matching Jack Nicklaus‘ tally of 18 wins.
Of course, it looks highly unlikely now that Tiger Woods will be able to catch Nicklaus. The consistency required to win 18 majors is remarkable.
Scottie Scheffler now has four to his name. And in truth, he is probably best placed in the current game to go on and reach double figures.
But Shiels suggested that he is quite pessimistic about anyone in this generation having the ability to match Nicklaus’ record.
He said: “Imagine if someone came through, a young lad, who just hits the scene and goes hell for leather. What would it do for the game if a young, aspirational kid came through and he hit it through 350 yards and every round he shot about nine under, like it was almost obscenely incredible? What would it do for golf?
“It could happen because the talent pool now is far superior to what it has ever been before.
“I worry now that we are not going to see in our lifetime somebody be the best player ever.”
Just five players have won nine of more majors during their careers. With that, it is incredibly difficult to see how anyone will be able to catch Nicklaus in the future.
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