How Many Majors Will Masters Champion Rory McIlroy Win In His Career... And Which Is Next?

Rory McIlroy completed the Career Grand Slam in dramatic fashion at The Masters, but how many Majors could he go on to win in his career (and which comes next)?

Rory McIlroy holding his trophy in his Green Jacket after winning The Masters at Augusta National, with three smaller images of the PGA Championship, US Open and Open Championship trophies
Rory McIlroy could be about to commence a second wave of domination in golf, so how many Majors can he win in his career?
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy made history at The Masters by winning his first Green Jacket and completing the Career Grand Slam at the 11th time of asking.

In what I would describe as the greatest Major of all time, the Northern Irishman bounced back from numerous setbacks to prevail on the biggest stage - demonstrating a resilience and maturity that has perhaps been missing from his game in the past.

After an incredible three-win start to 2025, McIlroy fans can certainly be excited about his prospects heading into the remaining Majors and the Ryder Cup later in the year.

While it's important to allow time for the former World No.1 to enjoy his historic achievement, it will certainly raise a couple of pertinent questions... How many Majors will Rory McIlroy win in his career and which will he win next?

I decided to put this question to my esteemed colleagues at Golf Monthly, but feel free to have your say in the comments below... I'd love to hear your thoughts on Rory's future achievements.

How Many Majors Will Rory McIlroy Win In His Career?

Nick Bonfield headshot
Nick Bonfield

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, commissioning and feature writing.

The sky really is the limit now for Rory McIlroy.

I'll be honest and say I didn't think he'd ever be able to win the Career Grand Slam – I felt there was simply too much pressure and too much scar tissue. Also, he's not a young man anymore – in golfing terms anyway.

If he failed again on Sunday at Augusta National, it could have been absolutely catastrophic, but fortunately he was able to dig deeper than ever before and produce a miraculous performance in the play-off.

That fact will stand him in incredible stead going forward – he had lost all the momentum and was playing a man with nothing to lose, but he was still able to summon the most timely of birdies.

He went out and hit three perfect golf shots knowing full well that failing to do so would have severe and long-lasting ramifications. It's hard to fathom that mental strength.

Laura Davies made a great point in commentary afterwards when she said he'll never feel pressure like that again. If he never wins another golf tournament, it's still a historic career.

That freedom is incredibly powerful and I'd expect it to translate to more Majors over the coming years. I think 10 is now a realistic target again, although by no means guaranteed.

Matt Cradock
Matt Cradock

Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.

Following his Masters victory, you could argue that 2025 is set up perfectly for McIlroy.

The PGA Championship is at Quail Hollow, a course he has won at multiple times, while the US Open at Oakmont requires a good tee ball, something the five-time Major winner is known for.

The Open being at Portrush is also a big factor and, for this season, I believe McIlroy wins one of the remaining three Majors.

In terms of career Majors, I think he will get to eight, which would put him as the most successful men's European player in history.

At 35 years of age, he still has time on his side and, with the Northern Irishman playing some of the best golf of his life right now, three more Major victories is a realistic target.

Rory McIlroy on his knees shouting with joy on the 18th green after sealing a first Masters win at Augusta National in 2025

Rory McIlroy made history at Augusta National, but he still has time to add to his Major haul

(Image credit: Getty Images)
Headshot of Jonny Leighfield at Effingham Golf Club October 2023
Jonny Leighfield

Jonny Leighfield is a part of our news team, joining the staff just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and went on to spend almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. Having improved his Handicap by over 10 strokes since joining Golf Monthly, Jonny is happy to report he is no longer the worst golfer in the office!

As I'm sure most people will now agree, I expect McIlroy to go on and win multiple Majors in the coming years.

Any Major would have been incredible to end the spell, but victory at The Masters almost killed two birds with one stone, so to speak.

With the freedom of having the full set and increasing his Major tally by 20%, I think McIlroy might well win another in 2025 before adding a couple more prior to retirement.

I wouldn't like to say when exactly they might arrive, but it seemed like - for the past 10 years or so - he was so often held back by the mental side of the battle to add number five.

That's now been greatly reduced, so if McIlroy can sharpen up his putting skills - a la Scheffler in 2024 - then it really is a matter of when, not if, McIlroy wins another Major.

Sam Tremlett headshot
Sam Tremlett

Sam is Golf Monthly's E-commerce Editor which mean's he oversees everything E-com related on the site. This takes the form of creating and updating Buying Guides, reviews, and finding bargain prices for deals content.

Working with golf gear and equipment over the last six years, Sam has quickly built outstanding knowledge and expertise on golf products ranging from drivers, to balls, to shoes.

Rory McIlroy is officially dangerous again.

With only a few hours gone by since he holed the winning putt it can be easy to slip into hyperbole but I think Rory could win another Major this year, at Quail Hollow for the PGA Championship, or maybe even The Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

The former because he loves that golf course and has won several times on it, and the latter because he made all the mistakes he could back in 2019 missing the cut.

In terms of total number of Majors, I think 8 is the number I am comfortable with. He no longer has that Major monkey on his back and is so freed up now, I wouldn’t even be surprised if he wins another Green Jacket.

Rory McIlroy sighing with relief after putting on the Green Jacket at the winner's ceremony following The Masters in 2025

McIlroy no longer has the Major monkey on his back, replacing it with a beautiful Green Jacket instead

(Image credit: Getty Images)

So, what do I think? I feel my colleagues have hit the nail on the head with their summation of Rory's future prospects, and I have a weirdly confident feeling he could add another Major (or two) this season.

In his career I am predicting another four Majors for McIlroy, taking him to nine, including at least one more Green Jacket.

Just imagine if the final leg of his Career Grand Slam also turned out to be the first like of a Grand Slam - becoming the first man to do so in the modern era and the only the second in history behind the greatest amateur of all time, Bobby Jones.

Too much? I think not.

Barry Plummer
Staff Writer

Barry joined Golf Monthly in January 2024, and now leads the instruction section across all platforms including print and digital. Working closely with Golf Monthly's Top 50 Coaches, he aims to curate and share useful tips on every aspect of the game - helping amateurs of all abilities to play better golf. A member at Sand Moor Golf Club in Leeds, he looks forward to getting out on the course at least once a week in the pursuit of a respectable handicap.

Barry is currently playing:

Driver: Benross Delta XT Driver

Hybrid: TaylorMade Stealth 4 Hybrid

Irons: Benross Delta XT 5-PW

Wedges: TaylorMade RAC 60, Callaway Jaws MD5 54

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.