Relaxed and toe-nail-ripping – McIlroy’s rare US PGA event

McIlroy’s priorities lie in the majors and, as is always the case with a Masters winner, he is now the only man capable of completing an unprecedented calendar-year Grand Slam.

Tiger Woods is the only player to hold all four majors at the same time, but his winning streak began in 2011. He finished at the 2000 US Open, The Open and the PGA – playing in August – and the Masters the following year.

So is it possible to conquer all four major areas in one year? “I think it’s possible,” McIlroy said. “But it’s incredibly difficult to reach.

“There’s a reason no one in the history of the game has been able to do it before.

“The best thing you can do is give each one a chance and then see where they fall on Sunday.

“Sometimes there’s a lot of randomness involved in winning golf tournaments. You have to make a lot of things go along with playing well yourself.

“So if someone did it in 100 years, I would say, yes, I could see it happening, but it’s very difficult.”

Nevertheless, the world number two overcame his demons, extending his 11-year wait for a fifth major title, which came at last year’s Masters.

“If you look at my game and my results and my consistency from 2022 until now, I’ve been on a good run,” McIlroy said. “And that run ended at the last two Masters, which was great.

“The major championships are not won by statistics or previous results. They are won by determination and determination and by hitting pressure when needed.

“And there are no real statistics to show you how good you are at that. It’s something you have to learn and become.”

McIlroy endured several misses at major schools before claiming last year’s Masters. “Once you start getting over that hump and you can get another win, that builds confidence,” he said.

“Form gives you confidence heading into events, but I’d say the way I won at Augusta a few weeks ago gives me more confidence about where I am and what I can do in these big weeks, which means I’ve won two or three events leading up to the top.”

McIlroy’s biggest challenge this week comes from world number one and reigning champion Scotty Scheffler, who will visit Quail Hollow to hone his skills for the Aronimink Challenge.

Players champion Cameron Young and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick are the remaining players, while Massilroy’s Ryder Cup partner Tommy Fleetwood showed encouraging signs after finishing fifth in Charlotte last week.