McIlroy given bleak warning over majors after | Golf News

Golf legend Sir Nick Faldo has voiced skepticism about Rory McIlroy’s possibilities of clinching another major championship, following his triumphant Masters victory in April.

The Northern Irish golfer finally donned the Green Jacket on his seventeenth strive, outplaying England’s Justin Rose in a thrilling playoff at Augusta National. He sunk a three-foot putt to full his profession Grand Slam, ending over a decade of relentless pursuit. More lately, he issued a $6 billion warning to LIV Golf amid PGA Tour peace talks.

McIlroy’s breakthrough adopted earlier victories at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship, marking an spectacular start to 2025. However, his efficiency took a dip as he stumbled at both the PGA Championship (T47) and U.S. Open (T19).

The Northern Irishman wrapped up the major season with a T7 end at The Open Championship in July. While it marked an enchancment from his latest performances, he appeared a far cry from the top-tier golf that earned him his Masters title.

As 2026 rolls around, McIlroy will naturally be aiming for more major championships. However, Faldo stays uncertain about his possibilities in upcoming tournaments, particularly after scaling what he described as his “Mount Everest”.

“Rory has done something absolutely phenomenal. After he won his first four, people came to me saying, ‘Is he going to win a dozen?'” Faldo shared with the Belfast Telegraph.

“But I said – and I was right – that he’s either going to be disappointed that he’s won 10 or he is going to be ecstatic that he’s got to five. And it is like climbing Everest, you don’t turn around and say ‘let’s go up again next month’.

“There was so a lot emotion at Augusta and you can’t reproduce the emotion to win a Major like that again, so I believe it is going to be powerful for Rory to win another one.”

Despite less than stellar performances at the following three majors and not securing a PGA Tour victory since his Masters breakthrough, McIlroy still managed to triumph at the Amgen Irish Open, lead Team Europe to an unforgettable Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black, and clinch the 2025 Race to Dubai title.

However, the 36-year-old has previously admitted that finding the motivation to compete again after such a significant achievement has consistently been a challenge.

Unfortunately for McIlroy, Faldo has thrown his support behind current world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler to keep his incredible streak alive through 2026, as he chases a career grand slam with a U.S. Open victory.

“Scottie’s in that beautiful mindset and routine of going to every event considering ‘how do I discover a approach to win this?'” Faldo expressed. “Whereas other guys are just attempting to get to Sunday. Some guys are choking on Thursday, but Scottie is choke free at the second, which is superb.”