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Golf Monthly
Golf Monthly
Sport
Paul Higham

More Majors And Ryder Cups - Rory McIlroy's Future Plans Focused On Cementing Legacy

Rory McIlroy responds to fans at The Open .

After such an incredible 2025, the question for Rory McIlroy is what's left to achieve?

He's given a few hints of where his priorities lie recently, and again at the Australian Open he said his focus is firmly on building upon his already substantial legacy.

The Northern Irishman achieved his lifetime ambition back in April when his thrilling Masters victory saw him become just the sixth men's Grand Slam champion.

McIlroy then played a huge part in Europe earning one of the best away wins in Ryder Cup history - sealing 2025 as surely the best year of his career.

McIlroy is still only 36 though, admittedly not one of the young guns anymore but still in great shape and with years ahead of him.

But he's not chasing prolific winning streaks of padding his tournament victory stats on either the PGA Tour or DP World Tour - he's chasing adding to his golfing legacy.

And that means success in golf's biggest events - the four Major championships and the Ryder Cup.

“I want to win more Majors. I want to be part of more Ryder Cup teams," McIlroy said when naming his priorities ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

How many Majors do you think McIlroy will win in his career? Let us know your thoughts by joining the conversation below...

(Image credit: Getty Images)

McIlroy seems less interested in piling up general tournament wins and more focused on those big events, the kind that make golfers legends of the sport.

"I'd say my records on either tour, whether it be the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour are probably meaning a little less to me as time goes on, and it's really just focusing on the Majors and being part of that Ryder Cup team," he added.

"I'm trying to build on the legacy that I've been building for the last 15 years.”

The debate about how many Majors McIlroy will end up winning will go on, but having five in the bank already is a great return - and of course being in that exclusive Grand Slam club puts him right up there with the game's greats.

McIlroy has also targeted winning at iconic venues - another way he sees to cement his legacy - such as winning another Players Championship at Sawgrass this year along with victory at Pebble Beach.

"I was lucky enough to win at Pebble Beach this year for the first time, obviously at Augusta. I'd love to win at St. Andrews one day. I'd love to win a US Open at Pebble Beach.

"There's a few venues in our game that maybe just mean a bit more than some of the others and that's something that I would love to do one day."

McIlroy also wants to play a more global schedule in the future, so expect to possibly see less of him in regular PGA Tour events as he saves himself to the big ones.

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