After Masters victory, Rory McIlroy can continue his sublime season at PGA Championship

Jordan Spieth of the US chips on the second green during the first round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia on 10 April 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / CJ Gunther)

By Craig Ray

13 May 2025

The pressure is off Rory McIlroy after his emotional Masters victory last month. How will it manifest at the season’s second major?

It says something about Rory McIlroy’s state of mind and confidence that he admitted to not playing “all that well” last week while still finishing seventh at the Truist Championship on the PGA Tour.

Most players must be near the top of their game to finish in the top 10 on any given week. McIlroy, it appears, got there with his B-game. It was a little warning shot for his fellow competitors going into the season’s second major, the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina.

mcilroy Rory McIlroy is in search of his fourth win of the year at this week's PGA Championship. (Photo: EPA-EFE / Erik S. Lesser)

After finally winning the Masters in dramatic fashion last month, to complete the career Grand Slam, the McIlroy narrative has naturally moved to whether he can win another major immediately.

Considering McIlroy has removed so much pressure from himself with that Masters win, it’s an entirely plausible expectation.

The Masters victory was also his first major in more than a decade, coming almost 11 years after winning the 2014 PGA Championship.

Perhaps the biggest factor pointing to a McIlroy victory is the location of the PGA Championship.

Quail Hollow is a course where McIlroy has won four times on the regular PGA Tour. His combined score in 13 visits as a professional is 102 under par. For context, that is 55 shots better than the next-best player since 2010, when McIlroy won for the first time.

“I think I’m in a good place. I didn’t feel like I played all that well this week, [but] I still finished seventh. Even my – what I feel is my bad golf, I’m still there or thereabouts,” McIlroy said after the Truist Championship.

“With a couple little improvements and little tweaks, especially going to a place I love like Quail Hollow, I’ll feel like I’m in a really good spot.”

No guarantees

Of course, golf being what it is, picking a winner is a risky business.

Consider that Tiger Woods, even in his prime between 1999-2010 (yes, it was that long ago), won about once in every four-and-a-half starts.

Woods, by far the most dominant player of the past 40 years, won a record 82 times on the PGA Tour from 359 starts. It’s a remarkable return, translating to a 22.8 winning percentage. But that means he was “losing” about four out of five tournaments.

That’s not meant to disparage Woods in any way, it’s just an illustration of how hard it is to win in golf, even if you’re peak Tiger.

McIlroy has won three times in eight starts on the PGA Tour this year, which includes the Players’ Championship and the Masters. In terms of percentages, he’s way above average.

McIlroy, as is always the case with the Masters winner (which is traditionally the season’s first major), is the only player with a minuscule chance of completing the calendar grand slam in 2025. Victory at the PGA Championship would get him 50% of the way there.

mcilroy Rory McIlroy makes a birdie putt on the 10th green during the final round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club on 13 April 2025. (Photo: EPA-EFE / CJ Gunther)

And golf being the mental game that it is, the fact that he completed an emotional victory at Augusta, removing the stigma and scar tissue of a decade of near misses at the majors, has lifted a psychological burden.

Will that freedom from the pressure of expectation he, the media, and fans put on him, release him to go on a major run?

“I don’t know if it gives me more confidence,” McIlroy said at his first tournament after winning the Masters, at the Zurich Championship last month.

“I’ve always been very confident in my abilities as a golfer. I do think that the whole day on Sunday at Augusta, I don’t think I’ll ever have to play a harder round of golf in my life.

“I certainly don’t want to be placed back on that 15th tee box on that Sunday afternoon. So, I think to be able to get through that and produce the shots when I needed to, that obviously gives me confidence, and I can always draw back on that experience.”

That suggests a certain freedom and confidence that will boost McIlroy.

Long hitters

Also, the course will be playing long and will suit big, straight hitters. There has been record rainfall in the region, making the course softer and the greens more receptive.

The further you can fly it from the tee, the closer you can get to the pins with approach shots. That’s in McIlroy’s wheelhouse.

But the problem is that there are many other classy players in good form, including world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and LIV golf favourite Bryson DeChambeau, ready for battle.

Xander Schauffele has been second twice at the Quail Hollow Golf Club, where the 2025 PGA Championship is being played. (Photo: EPA-EFE / CJ Gunther)

Xander Schauffele, who won two majors in 2024, including the PGA Championship, is another trending in the right direction after an early-season injury. Justin Thomas, who won the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow the last time it was played at the course in 2017, is also trending upwards.

Scheffler hits it miles, as does DeChambeau. Thomas and Schauffele are not far behind.

“I’ve actually been second twice at Quail Hollow, two years in a row (at the Wells Fargo tournament on the regular tour),” Schauffele said at a media day to promote the 2025 PGA Championship.

“I’m aware that I’ve played really well at Quail Hollow and come up short.

“The Masters was pretty solid. Overall, I think my confidence is slowly building, and I’m trying to allow that to happen versus sort of looking back at what I could have done better.

“I’m excited. I am excited for the next stretch. I have played well at Quail Hollow. I think it fits my eye, and for whatever reason, I’ve been up at the top of the leaderboard for the last two years. So, I don’t see why this year should be an issue.”

Jordan Spieth of the US could complete the career grand slam with victory at the PGA Championship. (Photo: EPA-EFE / CJ Gunther)

In the other narrative of the week, Jordan Spieth needs to win the PGA Championship to become the seventh player in history to complete the career Grand Slam, having won the other three majors during his career.

His form has been decent without being sensational, though, with two top-five finishes in 2025.

He doesn’t quite have the length off the tee to match the big bombers, so his iron play and putting will have to be exceptional. A Spieth win is a really long shot.

It’s clear that McIlroy isn’t the only player going into the season’s second major with justified confidence, but he is the one carrying the most momentum and confidence.

That’s never enough in golf, but it’s a lot better than the alternative. DM

Categories:

Tags:

DM is much better if you are signed in...

Sport

No guarantees

Long hitters