MELBOURNE, Australia – The problem is straightforward, if hefty. Rory McIlroy needs to concentrate on successful the sport’s oldest and most prestigious trophies at golf’s most sacred venues. An Open Championship at St. Andrews, a U.S. Open at Pebble Seashore, and, this week, an Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.
MORE: Adam Scott is experiecing a exceptional profession first at Royal Melbourne
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McIlroy, the reigning Masters champion, spoke to reporters on Wednesday on the world-renowned Royal Melbourne Composite course and outlined what a profession Grand Slam winner, at age 36, may presumably have left to dream about within the sport.
“Yeah, there completely is,” McIlroy stated when requested if there was one other aim to pursue. “I’ve talked about attempting to win at a number of the most essential venues in golf—this week is one in all them.
“You consider the tournaments and the those that have gained at Royal Melbourne and the way extremely regarded it’s inside the golf world. I used to be fortunate sufficient to win at Pebble Seashore [Pro-Am] this yr for the primary time, and clearly at Augusta. I would like to win at St. Andrews sooner or later. I would like to win a U.S. Open at Pebble Seashore.”
The Northern Irishman is in luck for these final two. In 2027, the U.S. Open will return to Pebble Seashore whereas the Previous Course at St. Andrews will host the a hundred and fifty fifth version of the hyperlinks main.
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“There are a number of venues in our sport that possibly simply imply a bit greater than a number of the others and that is one thing that I might like to do sooner or later,” World No. 2 McIlroy stated. “I need to win extra majors. I need to be a part of extra Ryder Cup groups. I would say my information on both tour, whether or not it’s the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour are in all probability which means rather less to me as time goes on, and it is actually simply specializing in the majors and being a part of that Ryder Cup workforce. I am attempting to construct on the legacy that I have been constructing for the final 15 years.”
That legacy was immortalized over the previous 11 months by a career-defining yr that McIlroy himself referred to as his finest but. With a inexperienced jacket win in April, he grew to become simply the sixth golfer in historical past to finish the profession Grand Slam, having already triumphed at a U.S. Open, two PGA Championships and the 2014 Open Championship.
After his heart-wrenching playoff victory over Justin Rose at Augusta, McIlroy appeared misplaced for inspiration and lots of puzzled how he may reframe his profession having scaled golf’s Mount Rushmore.
He was T-47 on the PGA Championship at Quail Hole, a contented looking floor of his, and T-19 on the U.S. Open at Oakmont. A T-7 at Royal Portrush when The Open returned to his native Northern Eire seemingly lit a fireplace he carried by means of the European fall occasions on the DP World Tour. McIlroy gained a second Irish Open title on the Ok Membership in a dramatic playoff earlier than serving to Europe to an away Ryder Cup win at Bethpage. In Dubai final month, McIlroy surpassed Seve Ballesteros in incomes a seventh Race to Dubai title on the DP World Tour.
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There may be an encore, although. McIlroy not solely needs to win the primary Australian Open held at Royal Melbourne since 1991, however with a two-year dedication to the 121-year-old match (he’s confirmed for 2026 at close by Kingston Heath), McIlroy needs to revive the glory days of the Australian Open within the Nineteen Seventies and ’80s, when Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Gary Participant etched their names on the Stonehaven Cup.
To try this, not solely does he have to win, however use his stature and affect within the sport to create extra standalone levels for nationwide opens like Australia.
“For those who take a look at the world of golf proper now, there are three fairly huge tournaments happening in the identical week,” McIlroy stated. “You have bought Tiger’s occasion [Hero World Challenge] within the Bahamas, the Nedbank [Golf Challenge on the DP World Tour] in South Africa, and right here. This match [Australian Open] has misplaced slightly little bit of what it had, say, 30 or 40 years in the past.
“I believe as a result of there’s a lot golf and there are such a lot of tournaments, the eyeballs are divided and the curiosity in each a type of tournaments this week might be not as excessive correctly. This match specifically due to the historical past, the custom, deserves to be a standalone match, per week by itself, and hopefully sooner or later they may put collectively a [global] schedule the place the largest and finest tournaments on this planet and the oldest and those with probably the most heritage could be elevated and stand on their very own.”
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For now, McIlroy is elevating the Australian Open together with his presence. Augusta Nationwide selecting it as one in all six nationwide opens to increase the winner a 2026 Masters invitation helps, too. As does the R&A seamless to supply three spots into the Open Championship for the highest finishers not already exempt.
McIlroy, the 2013 Australian Open winner at Royal Sydney, has lengthy praised the match publicly.
“Australia has been a really huge a part of my {golfing} journey going again to taking part in the Australian Open as an beginner again in 2005,” McIlroy stated. “I believe a market like this with wonderful followers and the historical past that it does have in all probability deserves extra of a consistency of massive gamers and large tournaments.”
Gamers don’t get any greater than McIlroy, and there aren’t many golf programs extra celebrated than Royal Melbourne. He’ll play the primary two rounds in heat climate at a fairly agency and quick Royal Melbourne, in a marquee group with 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott and PGA Tour winner Min Woo Lee. They’ll tee off in spherical one at 3.05 p.m. Wednesday E.T for U.S. viewers (Thursday 7.05 a.m. native in Melbourne) and eight.05 p.m. E.T. in spherical two.
It looks like McIlroy’s quest to raise the Australian Open is already underway. As for his different aim? He’s simply bought to win this week.
