He will be 36 next month and thinks he is a better player than he was 10 years ago. There is not much proof to say this is not true.

Across his eighteen years on tour — an extensive period representing half his professional golfing career — McIlroy has never achieved three victories prior to the month of May. This current situation is unprecedented, imbued with a profound sense of liberation. His performance exudes an air of playing without pressure, a state of mind entirely distinct from the considerable $13.2 million he has already amassed this year from his six starts solely on the PGA Tour.

He is the reigning Masters champion.

Now, he has a locker upstairs in the Augusta National clubhouse. A size 38 green jacket will always be there for him, and he has a permanent seat at the Masters Club dinner on Tuesday nights. This took eleven years to achieve, and it must feel amazing.

McIlroy showed great relief after winning, dropping his head on the 18th green. He said the happiness came soon after, which was clear from his face when Scottie Scheffler helped him put on the green jacket.

"What will be the main topics of discussion next year?" McIlroy said, first in Butler Cabin and later to begin his press conference. This shows the freedom he feels.

Would the forthcoming month be a viable timeframe?

With the career Grand Slam achieved, contemplating a calendar year Grand Slam seems timely, particularly given the favourable scheduling of the remaining majors this year.

The PGA Championship will take place at Quail Hollow next month, a venue where McIlroy has claimed victory on four separate occasions.

Last summer, he was one of the players who participated in a hypothetical scenario: if the FedEx Cup leader had the authority to select the venue for the Tour Championship, where would it be held? McIlroy promptly chose Quail Hollow.

The U.S. Open is being held at Oakmont, a substantial course that particularly favors players with significant driving distance. This venue should prove advantageous for him, as it would for any such golfer. Nevertheless, his previous appearance there saw him post a score of 77 in the inaugural round, which was protracted over two days due to inclement weather, resulting in his failure to advance to the weekend.

The British Open comes back to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, a familiar territory for McIlroy, where he aims to rectify a past setback. Last time at Portrush, burdened by significant self-imposed pressure, his initial tee shot landed out-of-bounds, leading to a score of 8 and ultimately failing to progress to the weekend rounds.

He makes a comeback, characterized more by a sense of liberation than by constraint.

That scenario remains distant, yet it exemplifies the shift in the dialogue surrounding McIlroy, which now focuses on his potential achievements rather than his shortcomings.

Scheffler, who was present with him in Butler Cabin and during the trophy presentation, shared this perspective on Tuesday: "While I don't fully grasp the experience of being questioned about the career Grand Slam, I have some insight into the feeling of being asked, 'You've achieved this, but you still haven't achieved that.' This can be quite demanding for individuals at times."

Brad Faxon, a confidant who assists McIlroy with his putting technique, suggested that there were no obstacles hindering McIlroy's progress and predicted he could potentially double his major championship wins. "He is capable of achieving ten," Faxon stated.

Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus once commented that a young Tiger Woods possessed the foundational skills to secure ten green jackets, matching their combined total. Woods ultimately achieved half that amount.

When Rory McIlroy was close to winning his first big championship at the 2011 U.S. Open, Padraig Harrington said, "If people start talking about someone who could beat Jack Nicklaus's record, he's the one."

Nicklaus holds the benchmark in golf with 18 major titles, while McIlroy, with five, equals Brooks Koepka's tally and trails Woods by ten.

It is understandable to be captivated by the excitement; this Masters tournament is comparable to significant historical moments at Augusta National, such as those featuring Woods in 2019, 2001, and 1997, Nicklaus in 1986 and 1975, and Arnold Palmer in 1960.

However, achieving this was not straightforward for McIlroy, neither on Sunday nor throughout the preceding sixteen years. It had been eleven years since his last major victory, and despite his aspiration of winning the Masters, he had only advanced to the back nine with a genuine prospect of winning on two occasions in his previous sixteen attempts.

However, players such as Greg Norman, Tom Weiskopf, David Duval, and Ken Venturi appeared considerably more affected, having accumulated greater emotional burdens.

Two years ago, after almost winning the U.S. Open, McIlroy said he would have "100 Sundays like this" to win another major tournament. He probably would have gone through 1,000 Sundays to win a green jacket, especially because so much was at risk.

McIlroy is now the sixth player to win the career Grand Slam, joining Woods, Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen. But only four of them truly "won" the career slam as we know it today, because the modern idea of it didn't exist until Arnold Palmer said it did in 1960.

Sarazen stands as the sole other competitor to have achieved the slam at the Masters, accomplishing this feat in 1935 during its second staging, prior to its official designation as the Masters. His official triumph was secured at the Augusta National Invitation Tournament. The iconic green jackets were not conferred until 1949, and the inaugural Masters Club dinner on Tuesday evening did not commence until 1952.

McIlroy is truly the only player to win the last part at the Masters. People remember the Masters the most because it is the only major golf tournament always played on the same course. This shows how special his achievement was.

To understand how great this achievement is, you need to think about not only the people he is now with, but also the important golfers who are not considered among the very best.

Sam Snead holds the PGA Tour record with 82 career victories, though his success is not attributable to the U.S. Open. Phil Mickelson has surpassed McIlroy's achievements, with the notable exception of that elusive U.S. Open title, the missing leg of his career Grand Slam.

Tom Watson achieved 39 career victories on the PGA Tour, including eight major championships. Palmer is widely considered the most impactful figure in contemporary golf. Remarkably, neither secured a PGA Championship title.

McIlroy began to contemplate whether he would join the ranks of the "almost" greats. Securing the Masters title alleviates that pressure. The pertinent question now is the extent of his future accomplishments.