25 years after Tiger Woods became the Grand Slam champion in 2000, Rory McIlroy achieved the feat with his first Green Jacket. n perhaps the most iconic storyline in golf for 2025, the Irishman finally achieved his dream by following in the footsteps of one of his biggest idols. Now a 5x major winner, a huge weight has been lifted off McIlroy. He is no longer stuck in limbo and can focus entirely on his next big goal. Right now, that would be his trip to Quail Hollow.
The last time Rors won the PGA Championship was in 2014. In fact, this is a major event that he has won multiple times; 2012 being his first. McIlroy has also finished in the top 12 in the last three editions of the major event. He is clearly a favorite to win in Charlotte, and experts also hold the same opinion. One of them commented on the same recently, as he discussed the 107th edition of the PGA Championship field.
Expert backs Rory McIlroy to win consecutive majors
Rory McIlroy put on a nail-biting show at Augusta National this year. However, he ended his 11-year wait and finally became the sixth Grand Slam champion. With that, the Irishman also won the favor of the majority of the people associated with golf. One of them was Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, who now believes that McIlroy can chase much bigger goals in his career. On the latest episode of 5 Clubs with Gary Williams on YouTube, the host asked whether McIlroy has become a favorite among the American audience.Russo replied, “Absolutely. I think he’s a little polarizing because of the LIV stuff.” McIlroy has often spoken against the idea of LIV Golf. For him to defeat Bryson DeChambeau and win the Green Jacket only added fuel to the fire.
“There is nobody who didn’t get goosebumps to see Rory win,” said Mad Dog, as he believes the Irishman’s popularity made his triumph even more emphatic. He further added, “There was such an interesting storyline with the Masters. We all know that he was trying to complete the career Grand Slam. We all know, in the Masters, he’s been spooked by the course.
He added, “We all know he hadn’t won in 11 years. We all know that he had the tournament won, then he had the tournament lost, then he came back. We all saw him in relief on the 18th after he won. All the emotions of Rory came out on that Sunday after.”
The entire world was glued to their screens, and those at Augusta National were following each step. Everyone wanted McIlroy to finish the story, even if they didn’t like him, which made it such a dramatic event.
Comparing the 29x PGA Tour winner to one of the legends, the analyst said, “He’s fun to watch, Gary, because he has got Arnold Palmer in him. He is wonderful, he is great. Tiger (Woods) doesn’t blow that kind of a lead. (Brooks) Koepka doesn’t even blow that kind of lead. (Jack) Nicholas doesn’t blow that kind of lead. McIlroy can. And that’s what makes him fun in a lot of ways because he is unpredictable.” Palmer, just like McIlroy, was known for fumbling a lead at times. His most infamous blunder was the 1966 U.S. Open, where he lost the major despite going into the last 18 with a 3-stroke lead.
Russo had an interesting take on what McIlroy can achieve next. Speaking about his form, the expert said, “Could Rory somehow put a run together and win three or four more of these in the next three or four years. And I think he can. I think the weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders. I think if he ever won this (the 2025 PGA Championship), there’s gonna be a lot of attention on that Grand Slam in the same year. Something that hasn’t been done since Bobby Jones.” Jones won the U.S. Open and the Open Championship in the same year multiple times. It was a Grand Slam for him as he was not considered for the PGA Championship due to his amateur status.
The question is, can Rory McIlroy become a season Grand Slam winner? The odds are in his favor in the coming week. But what about the U.S. Open and the British Open?
Can McIlroy better the Tiger Slam?
Tiger Woods has held all four major titles at the same time. However, he didn’t win them all in the same year. The 82x PGA Tour winner grabbed the PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and Open Championship in 2000. Woods kicked off 2001 major wins by grabbing his second Green Jacket. But the Tiger Slam is spread out across two seasons.
Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, is a favorite to win the 2025 PGA Championship. His record at Quail Hollow is impeccable, as he has already won 4 Wells Fargo Championships there. Moreover, the Irishman has won the major twice before. So it won’t come as a surprise if he captures the title. For two seasons in a row, McIlroy has finished a runner-up in the U.S. Open. This would be a great time to turn it around. As far as the 2025 Open Championship goes, the tournament will be played in his home country, Northern Ireland.
For this season, the stars are perfectly aligned for Rory McIlroy to win all four majors. In turn, he will also hold a record his idol could never achieve, becoming the first ever seasonal Grand Slam champion with all four major victories.
