Rory McIlroy is all too familiar with his current major championship slump — going on four years now — but he shocked some reporters on Wednesday at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open when he said he is perfectly content if he never wins another major.
“If I didn't win another major for the rest of my career, nothing is going to change in my life." So says Rory McIlroy.
— bunkered (@BunkeredOnline) July 5, 2018
“Look, if I didn’t win another major in my career, nothing is going to change in my life whether I win one or not,” McIlroy said. “But obviously, I don’t feel like I will have fulfilled my potential, but at the same time, there are other things in my life that are more important than golf.
“I’d be disappointed, but again it’s not going to change things. I don’t panic and it doesn’t keep me up at night. I just need to give myself chances. I was proud of myself just to get into the final group at the Masters this year.”
McIlroy made a Saturday charge at Augusta to put himself into position to possibly close out the career grand slam. Although he stumbled to a Sunday 74 and finished in a tie for fifth place, the host of this week’s Irish Open was happy with the learning experience as he prepares for the Open Championship in two weeks.
“I didn’t have a good Sunday (at Augusta), but I would have needed something pretty special to beat Patrick anyway,” he said. “The U.S. Open was the U.S. Open.
“I have got two more chances this year to hopefully play myself into contention. That was my goal this year — it wasn’t to win majors, it was just to give myself a chance and to put myself into positions to see how I fare. I did that at Augusta and I felt like I learned a bit from it, and hopefully going into Carnoustie and Bellerive, I can put myself in similar positions.”
Through a collective effort from @EuropeanTour @roryfoundation @ddfirishopen and @Ballyliffin we are delighted to announce a €100,000 donation to the Donegal Hospice ? @HospiceThe pic.twitter.com/XfSUMBU8BK
— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) July 4, 2018
Overall, however, McIlroy doubled down on his contentment with his career to this point, saying that there are other things outside of golf that are important to him.
“I think I’ve always had other interests and had other things that are a big part of my life,” he said. “But I think getting married, thinking about the future and what that entails. As you get older and as you evolve as a person, you change and your perspective changes a little bit. It’s not just the golf nowadays, there’s a lot more that goes into it.
“It’s still my career and I want to make the most of it, and I still have a lot of time left to make my mark on golf. But at the same time, it doesn’t keep me up at night thinking that if I never win another major it means that I can’t live with myself.”
