It is hard to fathom just how satisfying Rory McIlroy’s victory at the 2025 Masters will have truly been for the Northern Irishman after years of disappointment at Augusta National.
Not only has Rory McIlroy now won The Masters, he has ended an 11 year wait for a fifth major title. Meanwhile, he has also become the sixth player in history to win the career grand slam.
No other player since Tiger Woods has lifted all four of the current majors.
It goes without saying that it is a remarkable achievement, with players such as Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Sam Snead amongst those who did not quite manage to win the career grand slam.
The two players with the best chance to follow Rory McIlroy and win the career grand slam
The question now will be whether anyone else in the current game will be capable of emulating McIlroy’s accomplishment.
There are a number of outstanding names with multiple major wins. Jordan Spieth would join McIlroy if he wins the PGA Championship next month. Meanwhile, it is hard to imagine Scottie Scheffler not winning all of the majors at some stage if his career continues on its current trajectory.
But speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Ryan Lavner suggested that he would look elsewhere, with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka probably amongst those set to fall just short.
“Instant legendary status, just be completing the career grand slam. I do think, at least among Rory’s peers, that Jon Rahm – I would have said pre LIV is absolutely going to do that,” he said.
“Brooks, I think time is probably running out. He hasn’t been competitive in a year and a half. I think Xander Schauffele though does make a lot of sense, with The Masters and the US Open, the major championship historically where he has performed the best. I think those are the two best bets of Rory’s peers.”
The staggering record Xander Schauffele has at The Masters and the US Open
What Schauffele has done in the majors throughout his career is absolutely incredible. He registered a fifth top 10 finish in eight Masters starts on Sunday.
Of course, he already has the PGA Championship and The Open Championship in his trophy cabinet. And he simply has to be one of the favourites for Oakmont in June.
Schauffele’s record at the US Open is staggering, with seven top 10s in eight starts. He has also never finished lower than tied for 14th at the event.
So he surely has to be the leading candidate to join McIlroy at some point in the future. But McIlroy and Spieth have shown that clearing that final hurdle is so much more difficult than simply winning another golf tournament.
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