McIlroy living the dream at Quail Hollow with career Grand Slam complete

Rory McIlroy, whose Masters triumph last month completed a years-long pursuit of the career Grand Slam, said on Wednesday he has accomplished everything in golf he ever dreamed of and will not be burdened by any number-specific goals going forward.

The five-times major champion was a picture of contentment while talking to reporters at Quail Hollow Club on the eve of the PGA Championship knowing his golf bingo card is complete.

“I have achieved everything that I’ve wanted -- I’ve done everything I’ve wanted to do in the game,” said McIlroy. “I dreamed as a child of becoming the best player in the world and winning all the majors. I’ve done that.

“Everything beyond this, for however long I decide to play the game competitively, is a bonus.”

McIlroy’s quest for an elusive Masters title had consumed him and become a tiring and burdensome decade-long narrative each year the Northern Irishman arrived at Augusta National for the year’s first major.

When his winning putt dropped on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff, a visibly moved and emotional McIlroy dropped to his knees and cried, releasing years of pent-up pressure and expectations.

“I feel like I sort of burdened myself with the career Grand Slam stuff, and I want to enjoy this,” said McIlroy.

“I want to enjoy what I’ve achieved, and I want to enjoy the last decade or whatever of my career, and I don’t want to burden myself by numbers or statistics. I just want to go and try to play the best golf I can.”

The 36-year-old McIlroy is still a force wherever he tees it up but even he finds it hard to imagine anything that could top what he achieved at Augusta National. “I’m still going to set myself goals. I’m still going to try to achieve certain things. But I sit here knowing that that very well could be the highlight of my career,” said McIlroy.

“That’s a very cool thing. I want to still create a lot of other highlights and high points, but I’m not sure if any other win will live up to what happened a few weeks ago.” This year’s PGA Championship is being contested on a course where McIlroy has enjoyed more success than any other golfer, leading some to suggest he could leave Quail Hollow halfway to completing an unthinkable calendar-year Grand Slam.

But McIlroy refuses to burden himself with such talk and will instead focus on giving his best each week.

“I think everyone saw how hard having a north star is and being able to get over the line,” said McIlroy. “If I can just try to get the best out of myself each and every week, I know what my abilities are; I know the golf that I can play.

“And if I keep turning up and just trying to do that each and every week, especially in these four big ones a year, I know that I’ll have my chances. I’ve always said I’m never going to put a number on it.”

Schauffele still has something to prove: Defending champion Xander Schauffele says he still has something to prove at this week’s PGA championship and doesn’t feel much different as a two-time major winner than he did a year ago without a major crown.

The 31-year-old American won his first major title in last year’s PGA Championship at Valhalla, beating Bryson DeChambeau with a 72nd-hole birdie, and took his second in last year’s British Open.

This week he tries to defend a major for the first time at the 107th PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

“I feel like I’ve done it before, but at the same time, I feel I’m still trying to prove myself as well,” Schauffele said. “I don’t look at it too different or feel too different as a whole.”

After missing two months of the season with a rib injury, Schauffele is just getting back into top form.

“I’m nitpicking myself around every corner versus when I’m in sort of mid-season form, I’m hitting similar quality shots or bad shots or good shots across the board,” he said.

“The difference really is, when you’re in the moment, I think you don’t nitpick. You’re just on a mission. You’re on a mission to do one thing, and that’s to win. It’s sort of a whatever-it-takes mentality, and you’re not sitting there nitpicking yourself on the small things.

“It has been a process for me to get back to that point where I’m OK with hitting bad shots or hitting it out of place and just making the best of it and sort of moving along from there. That has been a process coming back.”

Agencies