Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley believes Rory McIlroy may need to end his major drought away from The Masters to help his chances of competing the career Grand Slam.
McIlroy has been unable to add to his four major titles since his 2014 PGA Championship success, despite having 21 major top 10s during that spell and continuing to regularly win titles on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
The world No 2 has already won twice on the PGA Tour in 2025 and is among the favourites again for the opening major of the year, live from Thursday on Sky Sports, with The Masters the elusive major required to become the sixth player to complete the Grand Slam in the modern era.
Six-time major champion Nick Faldo gives his take on whether McIlroy can finally end his major drought and claim the elusive Grand Slam at The Masters
McIlroy has posted top-eight finishes in eight of his last 12 major appearances, including a second to Scottie Scheffler at Augusta National in 2022 and being runner-up in his last two US Opens, with the Northern Irishman facing growing expectation to add to his tally.
“Eleven years is a hell of a long time for a player of his quality,” McGinley said in a pre-tournament media call. “How many players from back in 2014 are still right at the very top of the world rankings, or even anywhere in the top 10 in the world rankings?
“The staying power that he’s got, the sustainability over that period of time, has been absolutely phenomenal. Obviously, the big miss is not having a major.
Can McIlroy complete a career Grand Slam at The Masters this year? Watch all the action live from Thursday on Sky Sports Golf
“I personally believe it could be a stepping stone here, and winning another major first may well be the path that he needs in order to win here at Augusta.
“Going into the first major of the year and all the attention that comes with being at Augusta National, on top of trying to win your first major in 11 years, on top of trying to complete the Grand Slam, is a lot.
“Maybe there’s a stepping stone needed first and that will be to knock off one of the three majors before he comes in here with that question taken care of.”
Wayne Riley looks ahead to The Masters and whether McIlroy could complete a career Grand Slam, following his win at The Players
This year’s event is McIlroy’s 17th consecutive appearance at Augusta National, where he famously squandered a four-shot lead during the final round of the 2011 contest and has finished inside the top 10 in seven of the last 11 years.
Tiger Woods has previously said that McIlroy completing the Grand Slam will “definitely happen” at some point, although McGinley warns that – as much as he has a great opportunity – it is far from certain.
Five-time Masters winner Tiger Woods said in 2024 that there is ‘no question’ McIlroy will win The Masters at some point in his career
“Nobody has a right to win The Masters and we’ve seen phenomenal players come and go and not win there,” McGinley added. “I can think of Ernie Els as well as Greg Norman, who had games and skillsets that you think would be suitable to win around there.
“If he [McIlroy] doesn’t win a Masters, it’s still a phenomenal career that he’s had. Yes, it would have been a shame that he didn’t win the Grand Slam, because that’s the elite of the elite.
Watch every shot from McIlroy’s record equalling 64 from the final round of the 2022 Masters, helping him finish runner-up to Scottie Scheffler
“Building up with another two or three would be great, but to be in that elite six is something special. To knock off and deal with the pressure of being that sixth person and the pressure to win at Augusta is tough. It’s a huge amount on anybody’s shoulders. It is a possibility, but it’s not a given.
“Show me a golfer in the world that wouldn’t want to be in Rory McIlroy’s shoes having to deal with it?! You just want the opportunity to deal with it and the challenge of having the possibility of that happening to you. It’s great shoes to be in.”
McIlroy heads into The Masters top of the PGA Tour’s FedExCup standings
Things going McIlroy’s way for The Masters?
McIlroy followed his season-opening victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with a play-off victory at The Players, with that early success – alongside with slow starts to the season by many of his expected challengers – keeping McGinley upbeat about the 35-year-old’s chances.
“Without trying to pile too much pressure on Rory on already what’s there, there’s a couple of things lining up at this moment in time,” McGinley admitted. “But they have lined up in the past, remember, too, and things haven’t worked out for him.
“Not only do you have Rory winning two of the biggest events so far on the PGA Tour, the fact that he has also won it with his ‘B’ game, that’s new. That’s an evolution of Rory McIlroy and that’s different than what we’ve seen before.
Highlights from the Monday play-of at The Players, where McIlroy defeated JJ Spaun to claim his second career win at TPC Sawgrass
“I think the second one would be that his greatest adversaries, the guys you would expect to be really challenging here, are slightly off their game, and none of them are showing a huge amount of form.
“The biggest challenge for Rory is the mental one. I know that Bob Rotella has been a huge influence on him in the last 18 months, and I think he’ll have him very well prepared now. This is not the first rodeo going into the Masters working together, they’ve had two or three runs at this now.
“Two or three of those things all colliding together gets me a little bit buoyed. I’m not going to say over-buoyed, and I’m certainly not going to say giddy, but a little bit buoyed that he does have a strong chance this year in comparison to other years.”
Wayne Riley looks ahead to The Masters and whether McIlroy could complete a career Grand Slam, following his win at The Players
When is The Masters live on Sky Sports?
Sky Sports Golf will be showing record hours of live coverage from the 2025 contest, where Scheffler returns as defending champion, including more action over the final two rounds than previous years.
Wall-to-wall coverage from the tournament begins at 2pm on Thursday, with Featured Group action and regular updates from around the course available to enjoy on Sky Sports Golf until the global broadcast window begins at 8pm.
Highlights from the final round of The Masters in 2024, where Scottie Scheffler claimed the Green Jacket at Augusta National
The same timings will apply on Friday, while a new addition to this year’s coverage sees a Masters build-up show live from 3pm over the weekend ahead of full coverage starting at 5pm, covering all the action until after the close of play.
On Sky Sports+, Sky Q and Sky Glass there will also be lots of extra action, providing plenty of bonus feeds and allowing you to follow players’ progress through various parts of Augusta’s famous layout.
Who will win The Masters? Watch from April 10-13 live on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the opening round begins with Featured Groups on Thursday April 10, from 2pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
