JMDSportsTalk

Okay, this may be jumping the gun here….but I think Rory has the best chance in achieving this feat since Tiger Woods. Yes, that’s high praise but Rory is on a heater. Since the infamous “Tiger Slam” in 2000/2001 I can’t think of a single player who has been set up to seriously challenge the single year grand slam like Rory is this year. Maybe Scottie Scheffler last year? But even then, it never felt like he was a threat to complete it.

Rory is coming off of the hottest start in his Professional career, winning the At&T Pebble Beach Pro-AM, the Players Championship, and now completing the career grand slam at The Masters. Surely, it is still a tall task, but Rory seems to have finally gotten the monkey off of his back after that Masters win. The emotion he showed after he sunk that clinching putt in the playoff was 14 years of doubt he could ever win at Augusta. Seemingly, Rory has now emotionally freed himself for the tournaments that lie ahead.

I think we are absolutely about to watch one of the most historic years in professional golf since the 00/01 seasons from Tiger Woods. A Rory McIlroy with a free mind is quite possibly the most dangerous golfer in the world, and yes, even more dangerous than World No. 01 Scottie Scheffler. If this win at Augusta signifies any one singular thing, it is the pinnacle of Rory’s career on tour. With this win, I think every other tournament seems winnable to him. No, I don’t think that Rory was in the mindset where he couldn’t win any tournament he showed up to. I do however think that the weight of his major drought, coupled with the heartbreaking losses he had endured at Augusta National over the years, had truly crept into the back of his mind. Why is it so important going forward though you may ask? Because he now holds the career grand slam and is in the company of some of the greatest golfers to ever live. His career could end today and he will be forever talked about with Woods, Nicklaus, Jones, Snead etc. That makes him a dangerous man going forward, because he is only out there to prove he is the best now. He could miss every cut for the next 10 years, and people would still have him as a top 10 player to ever pick up a club. Not to mention, he has some history at the major championship tracks this year….

The PGA Championship is being held at Quail Hollow this year. A course that Rory is all too familiar with, and has absolutely dominated at over the years. Rory McIlroy won the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, his fourth win at the course, finishing 17 under par with a final-round score of 65. He defeated Xander Schauffele by five strokes in a tournament that he absolutely ran away with. I think heading into this tournament, the man from Northern Ireland is going to have all of the confidence in the world. He has the best chance, in my opinion, to pick up a win at the PGA championship this year.

The U.S. Open this year will be played at Oakmont Country Club. This, I believe will be Rory’s toughest major of all four. With the win at Augusta National, taking down Bryson Dechambeau in the final round as the two were paired together, I again believe Rory has freed himself from the demons that haunt his past major losses. In 2024, for those who don’t remember, Rory had a heartbreaking loss where he missed two putts from a combined 7 feet (seriously) to allow Bryson to pick up the victory. Coming into this years U.S. Open, I think McIlroy is out for blood. He already proved that he could not only be at Bryson in the biggest of stages, but also win at the most elusive course during his career. This should allow Rory to play freely and avenge the gut wrenching loss from 2024.

Seriously, if Rory can pull off the first three (which is no easy task) then I truly believe he completes the grand slam.The Open Championship this year is played at Royal Port Rush, in Northern Ireland. If you’ve read this far, you’re clearly a Rory McIlroy fan like myself. So you should know that this tournament is a home game for Rory. He will be amongst his countrymen where I believe he will have the entire backing of the crowd (maybe aside from some Shane Lowry stans). If anyone over the years has fed off of the crowds energy, it’s Rory McIlory. Just go back and watch the Ryder Cup from 2023, and you’ll see a handful of moments where Rory was overrun with the passion he felt from the crowds in Rome. He is an emotional golfer at his core, and I think the overwhelming support is going to lift him to a massive victory at Royal Port Rush.

Does he truly have a chance to win the grand slam in 2025? Absolutely. Will it be easy? Absolutely not. All this is to say that I think he has the best chance to do it since Tiger Woods in his prime. I’ll really start to believe it if he continues his dominance at Quail Hollow. My bold prediction is that he ends up winning 3 majors this year, including the PGA Championship and the Open Championship. I think he might struggle at the U.S. Open, and by struggle I mean T-8 or higher…

So, do you think Rory can do it?