Next month, he will be 36, and he feels he plays better now than he did ten years ago. It is difficult to disagree with this idea.

Rory McIlroy has been a professional golfer for 18 years, which is half his life. He had never won three tournaments before May until this year. Now, he feels very free when he plays, and this feeling is not just because he has already won a lot of money this year from his tournaments on the PGA Tour.

He holds the title of Masters champion.

He now has a locker upstairs in the Augusta National clubhouse, and a size 38 green jacket will always be there for him. He also has a place at the table for the Masters Club dinner on Tuesday nights. This achievement took 11 years. It must be an amazing feeling.

McIlroy looked very relieved after winning, which you could see in his breathing. He said he felt happy soon after, and this was clear from his face when Scottie Scheffler helped him put on the green jacket.

“What will we talk about next year?” McIlroy asked, first inside the Butler Cabin and later when he began his press conference. That shows how comfortable he feels.

Would it be feasible to schedule it for next month?

He has now won all the major tennis tournaments in his career. Perhaps he can win all of them in one year. The remaining tournaments this year seem good for him.

Next month, the PGA Championship will be at Quail Hollow, where McIlroy has won four times.

Last summer, he was asked a fun question: If the top player in the FedEx Cup could pick where the Tour Championship happens, where would it be? McIlroy quickly said Quail Hollow.

The U.S. Open is at Oakmont, a difficult course that is good for strong golfers. This course would be good for him, but the last time he played there, he had a bad first round score of 77. This round took two days to finish because of rain, and he did not play in the weekend rounds.

The British Open is back at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, which is Rory McIlroy's home. He has something to prove there because of what happened last time. He hoped to do very well, but he hit his first shot outside the playing area. This mistake led to a score of 8 on that hole, and he did not continue in the competition.

He returns with less pressure and more freedom.

Although that is far in the future, it shows how people's opinion about McIlroy has changed. They are no longer talking about his weaknesses but about what more he can achieve.

Scheffler, who was with him when he got the trophy, said on Tuesday: 'I don't know what it's like to be asked about winning all the big tournaments, but I have some idea what it's like to be asked, 'You did this, but you haven't done that.' It can be hard for people sometimes.'

Brad Faxon, a friend and coach who helps McIlroy with his putting, thinks McIlroy can win many more major golf tournaments, maybe even ten.

Famous golfers Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus once said that a young Tiger Woods could win 10 Masters tournaments. This was the same number they had won together. But Woods only won five.

Before McIlroy finished the last 18 holes at the 2011 U.S. Open, where he was close to winning his first major, Padraig Harrington said, "If you want to talk about someone who could challenge Jack's record, that's the person."

Nicklaus has won the most major golf tournaments, with 18 wins. McIlroy now has five wins, which is the same number as Brooks Koepka, and 10 less than Woods.

It's easy to get excited. This Masters is one of the best moments at Augusta National, like when Woods won in 2019, 2001, and 1997, Nicklaus in 1986 and 1975, and Arnold Palmer in 1960.

But this was hard for McIlroy, not just on Sunday, but for the last 16 years. He hadn't won a major tournament for 11 years. Winning the Masters was his dream, but in 16 tries before, he only had a good chance to win on the last nine holes twice.

Players like Greg Norman, Tom Weiskopf, David Duval, and Ken Venturi had more painful memories.

Two years ago, after almost winning the U.S. Open, McIlroy said he would accept many difficult Sundays to win another major tournament. He would have accepted even more difficult Sundays to win the Masters, especially because it was so important to him.

McIlroy is now the sixth player to achieve the career Grand Slam, joining Woods, Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen. However, only four of them truly won the career slam as we understand it today. This is because the modern idea of the career slam didn't exist until Arnold Palmer called it that in 1960.

Only one other player has completed the slam at the Masters. This was Sarazen in 1935, when the tournament was called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament, not the Masters. Green jackets were first given in 1949, and the Masters Club dinner began in 1952.

McIlroy is the only player to win the last part at the Masters. People remember the Masters well because it is the only major golf event that is always at the same course. This shows how special it was.

To see how great this achievement is, consider the famous golfers he is now with and also the great golfers who are not seen as the very best.

Sam Snead has won 82 times on the PGA Tour, which is the most wins ever, but he never won the U.S. Open. Phil Mickelson has won more tournaments than Rory McIlroy, but like Snead, he has also never won the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open is the only major tournament Mickelson still needs to win.

Tom Watson won 39 PGA Tour events and eight major tournaments in his career. Many believe Arnold Palmer has had the biggest effect on modern golf. However, neither of them ever won the PGA Championship.

McIlroy started to worry if he would be one of the great players who often came close to winning big tournaments but never actually won. Winning the Masters removes that pressure. Now, the question is how much more he can do.