Back in April, Rory McIlroy achieved golfing immortality by finally winning The Masters and completing the Grand Slam in the process.
McIlroy reigned victorious at Augusta National at the 17th time of asking, and it was his 11th attempt at completing the Grand Slam.
The Masters was the 35-year-old’s fifth major championship win of his career to date.
Now McIlroy heads into The PGA Championship as one of the strong favourites to win.
After his triumph at Augusta, a huge weight was definitely lifted from his shoulders. Now he can approach the four biggest events of the year without the pressure that once engulfed him.
McIlroy celebrated his Masters win late into the night alongside his good friend Shane Lowry.
It was clear for everyone to see that his victory at Augusta meant more to him than any of his other major wins.
However, it seems he hasn’t let himself enjoy it too much.
Rory McIlroy makes big admission about his Masters win
Winning The Masters is the dream for all golfers worldwide.
McIlroy fulfilled that dream last month, and nobody would criticise him if he was still dining out on that win now.
However, it seems like the Northern Irishman has a totally different, and somewhat refreshing, way of looking at it.
He addressed the media at Quail Hollow on Wednesday morning, and opened up on his thrilling win at Augusta.
However, he made a really interesting admission about why he doesn’t watch his victory back on TV too much.
He said, “Yes, I’ve tried not to watch it a lot because I want to remember the feelings and I want to — I’ve talked about this before, but I think when I rewatch a lot of things back, I then just remember of the visuals of the TV rather than what I was feeling and what I was seeing through my own eyes, so I haven’t tried to watch it back too much.
“But anytime I have, I well up. I still feel like I want to cry. Yeah, it was an involuntary — I’ve never felt a release like that before, and I might never feel a release like that again. That could be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it was a very cool moment.“
It’s actually great to hear a top athlete talk about emotions and feelings in an era of digital obsession.
What next for McIlroy in the majors – feast or famine?
There are two ways of looking at what might happen with The Masters champion now.
The first potential outcome is that he is completely freed up by his win at Augusta, and the fact that he has now completed the Grand Slam.
As a result, he goes out in every major he plays in the future without the fear of losing and no pressure on his shoulders.
A free-wheeling McIlroy is a scary prospect.
However, there is another potential scenario that could unfold here.
There is a school of thought that the Northern Irishman has now achieved everything he ever wanted to in the game. He has actually said as much himself.
As a result, he could take his foot off the gas and lack the motivation to win moving forward.
I just think McIlroy is too good not to win a handful more majors after his success at The Masters.
There will be weeks when he has his ‘A’ game and ends up winning at a canter.
Who knows, perhaps The PGA Championship this week will yield more glory for McIlroy.
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