With a pantheon of six carved into granite, Rory McIlroy's name is now etched into golf's ultimate firmament, a testament to reaching the sport's zenith.

Yet, the trajectory for McIlroy remains replete with further potential milestones.

Turning 36 next month, he harbours a conviction that his current abilities surpass those he possessed a decade prior, a contention for which empirical disconfirmation remains conspicuously absent.

In his eighteen-year touring career, which constitutes half his professional golfing life, McIlroy has historically failed to secure a trio of victories prior to the advent of May. Consequently, he perceives an unprecedented sense of liberation, operating with a palpable lack of constraint entirely unrelated to the substantial thirteen-point-two million dollars already amassed across merely six PGA Tour appearances this year.

He holds the esteemed title of reigning Masters champion, a testament to his unparalleled mastery and indomitable resolve.

Henceforth, he is unequivocally entitled to a permanent locker upstairs in the venerable Augusta National clubhouse, wherein a bespoke size 38 green jacket shall perpetually await him; moreover, he is now granted an inviolable seat at the Masters Club dinner on Tuesday nights – privileges hard-earned over an arduous eleven-year pursuit, culminating in an experience of ineffable exhilaration.

The visibly tumultuous respiration as McIlroy prostrated himself upon the 18th green following his victory epitomized absolute relief. "The sheer exultation manifested itself shortly thereafter," he averred, a sentiment palpably validated by the expression illuminating his countenance as Scottie Scheffler facilitated the investiture of the sartorial emblem.

“Upon what subject shall our collective discourse centre in the forthcoming annum?” McIlroy enquired, initially from within the confines of Butler Cabin, and subsequently at the commencement of his press briefing, a query emblematic of the latitude he perceives.

Would it be amenable to your schedule to defer this until the ensuing month?

With the career Grand Slam now definitively secured, it is by no means premature to contemplate the prospect of a calendar year Grand Slam, particularly as the remaining major tournaments this season appear decidedly advantageous to his aspirations.

The forthcoming PGA Championship at Quail Hollow next month is set to unfold at a venue where McIlroy has unequivocally etched his name into the annals of history, having secured victory on four separate occasions.

In a hypothetical scenario posited last summer, wherein the FedEx Cup's frontrunner was granted the prerogative to designate the Tour Championship venue, McIlroy's unhesitating selection was Quail Hollow.

The U.S. Open is being held at Oakmont, a substantial course that particularly favours golfers with considerable driving prowess, a characteristic that would seemingly play to his strengths as much as anyone's, notwithstanding his ignominious prior outing at the venue, where his opening round extended over two rain-sodden days culminating in a dismal 77, resulting in his early departure before the weekend's play.

The Open Championship makes its reappearance at Royal Portrush, situated in Rory McIlroy's native Northern Ireland, a venue where he harbours a compelling score to settle, given that his previous outing there was marred by stratospheric self-imposed pressure that culminated in an opening drive waywardly sailing beyond the confines of the course, precipitating a disastrous octuple bogey and, ultimately, a premature exit before the weekend's play.

He returns with a preponderance of freedom over constraint.

That entire scenario remains a distant prospect, yet it exemplifies the significant shift in the discourse surrounding McIlroy, transitioning from an analysis of his deficiencies to an exploration of his potential accretions.

Scheffler, a fellow sojourner in Butler Cabin and attendee at the trophy investiture, proffered this insight on Tuesday: "While the intricacies of fielding inquiries regarding the career Grand Slam remain beyond my purview, I possess a modicum of comprehension concerning the burden of being confronted with the 'accomplished this, yet not that' dichotomy. Such interrogations can, at times, impose a considerable strain on individuals."

Brad Faxon, a confidant and putting savant who collaborates with McIlroy, opined on McIlroy's seemingly unassailable trajectory, suggesting that a doubling of his major tally was entirely within his grasp and could culminate in a haul of ten titles.

It was the erstwhile pronouncements of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus that a youthful Tiger Woods possessed the foundational elements requisite for securing ten Green Jackets, an aggregate tally equivalent to their combined acquisitions; Woods ultimately achieved half of this projected total.

With 18 holes remaining in the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, and McIlroy yet to secure his maiden major championship, Padraig Harrington posited, "Should one wish to contemplate a contender for challenging Jack's seemingly indelible record, behold the individual."

With an unparalleled tally of eighteen major championships, Nicklaus stands as the quintessential benchmark in the realm of professional golf; McIlroy, in contrast, currently holds five, mirroring the achievements of Brooks Koepka and trailing the accomplishments of Woods by a deficit of ten.

It is facile to become ensnared in the exhilaration; this Masters tournament holds a place amongst the pantheon of Augusta National's indelible occasions — Woods' victories in 2019, 2001, and 1997, Nicklaus' triumphs in 1986 and 1975, and Arnold Palmer's achievement in 1960.

Yet, for McIlroy, this pursuit was fraught with difficulty, a persistent struggle extending over the preceding sixteen years and culminating on that particular Sunday. A chasm of eleven years had elapsed since his last triumph in a major championship, and though securing the Masters title represented his most cherished aspiration, he had, across sixteen prior attempts, only twice found himself in a position of genuine contention as he commenced the back nine.

Significantly more beleaguered were competitors such as Greg Norman, Tom Weiskopf, David Duval, and Ken Venturi, individuals whose psychological resilience had been demonstrably compromised by past setbacks.

Two years hence, following his narrow miss at the U.S. Open, McIlroy avowed he would endure a century of such Sundays to secure a further major title; he would assuredly have countenanced a millennium for the coveted green jacket, particularly given the manifold implications.

McIlroy now stands as the sixth individual to achieve the career Grand Slam, placing him alongside an elite cadre of golfers comprising Woods, Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen; however, a significant historical nuance dictates that only four of these titans of the sport genuinely "secured" the career slam, as the contemporary conceptualisation of this formidable feat remained non-existent until Arnold Palmer’s seminal proclamation in 1960 formally established its parameters.

Notably, the sole other competitor to achieve the grand slam at this prestigious tournament was Sarazen in 1935, during its sophomore iteration, when it was formally known as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament, predating both the conferral of the iconic Green Jackets (inaugurated in 1949) and the institution of the Masters Club dinner (established in 1952).

McIlroy's achievement stands unparalleled as the sole competitor to secure the final leg at the Masters, an event where the mnemonic trace is arguably the most potent, being the exclusive major championship consistently staged on the same hallowed ground, thus underscoring the profound singularity of this accomplishment.

To appraise the magnitude of this accomplishment necessitates a focus extending beyond those within his cohort to encompass the conspicuous absentees from golf's pantheon.

Sam Snead shares the PGA Tour's career victory record of 82, an achievement rendered conspicuous by its dissociation from a U.S. Open title. Similarly, Phil Mickelson's career, while exceeding Rory McIlroy's in overall accolades, remains defined by the conspicuous absence of that same elusive leg of the career Grand Slam.

Notwithstanding Tom Watson's impressive tally of 39 PGA Tour victories and eight major championships, and despite Arnold Palmer's arguably preeminent influence on contemporary golf, neither luminary managed to secure a PGA Championship title.

McIlroy's nascent apprehension regarding his potential relegation to the ranks of the "almost" greats is decisively dispelled by the Masters' imprimatur, pivoting the discourse towards the boundless expanse of his future trajectory.