Many believe that by winning the 2025 Masters and completing the career Grand Slam in what was his 11th attempt to do so, Rory McIlroy will get to play freely. The burden of winning a green jacket or the weight of not winning a major championship since 2014 no longer exists, and Brad Faxon is among those who think this could open up the floodgates for McIlroy to go on a truly historic run in future major championships.
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While Faxon is a member of the NBC golf broadcast team, he’s also been McIlroy’s putting coach over recent years, so his belief in Rory shouldn’t come as any sort of shock. Of course, Faxon is going to believe in one of the players he works with. That’s rule No. 1 for any coach, but his prediction of what is to come from McIlory is bold, very bold.
He believes McIlroy, who now has five major championships to his name, could go on to double that number before calling it quits.
“He has played professional golf for more than half his life now, and there is nothing that can stop this guy,” Faxon told ESPN.
“Rory can double his number of majors. He can go on to win 10. Something happened from the defeats to build the resilience he has. It builds inside what you need to overcome. He is an example to everyone.”
McIlroy joined an exclusive club with his Masters victory, becoming just the sixth player of the modern era to win all four major championships in their career. If he were to go on and win 10 majors, well, that group is an even smaller one than that of the career Grand Slam.
Only Walter Hagen (11), Tiger Woods (15), and Jack Nicklaus (18) have reached the double-digit major championship mark.
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Next month’s PGA Championship happens to be taking place at Quail Hollow in North Carolina, a track that has been mighty kind to McIlroy over the years, as he’s found the winner’s circle on site four times in his career.
McIlroy will turn 36-years-old on May 4. Just for comparison’s sake, Woods’ lone major championship after turning 36 came at the 2019 Masters when he was 43-years-old. Phil Mickelson won three of his six major championships after turning 36, with his most-recent coming at the 2021 PGA Championship at the young age of 50.
