Rory McIlroy has set his sights on chasing down golf’s biggest trophies next year as he aims to build on a stellar 2025 campaign in which he became a Grand Slam champion.
McIlroy finally got his hands on the Masters title back in April, which was his fifth major title, and his first since he won the PGA Championship for the second time back in 2014.
Indeed, the Northern Irishman became just the sixth player to win the career Grand Slam, while he also became the first European player to win all four of the majors.
The 36-year-old also emerged victorious at the Players Championship and the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and beat Joakim Lagergren in a play-off to lift the Irish Open crown.
McIlroy was also a part of the Team Europe Ryder Cup team that secured an away win for the first time since 2012 at Bethpage Black in September, along with topping the Race to Dubai standings for the fourth consecutive year, picking up his seventh Order of Merit title.
This weekend, McIlroy headlines the field at the Australian Open in Melbourne, and he is chasing a first victory Down Under in 12 years and a second Stonehaven Cup.
“Australia has been a very big part of my golfing journey, going back to playing the Australian Open as an amateur back in 2005,” McIlroy told reporters.
“I’ve talked about trying to win at some of the most important venues in golf, and this week is one of them.
“You think about the people who have won at Royal Melbourne and how highly regarded it is.”
Rory McIlroy’s win in 2013 at the Australian Open #AusOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/LHF6RnsAqC
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) December 3, 2025
Cam Smith and Adam Scott are among the hopefuls trying to ensure an Australian player wins the Stonehaven Cup for the first time since 2019, when Matt Jones picked it up.
McIlroy, however, is aiming to lift his first crown at Royal Melbourne, having won his previous title at Royal Sydney, where the event has been held 15 times in the past.
The 2013 winner revealed he experienced a lull after winning the Masters, finishing tied for 47th and 19th at the PGA Championship and U.S. Open, respectively.
But McIlroy, at one of his boyhood clubs in Royal Portrush, enjoyed a stirring chase of the Claret Jug in July, but finished tied for seventh behind winner Scottie Scheffler.
Among his goals is a British Open Championship win at St Andrews, where the major will be played in 2027.
“I was lucky enough to win at Pebble Beach this year for the first time and obviously at Augusta. I’d love to win at St Andrews one day,” he said.
“I’d love to win a US Open at Pebble Beach. There are a few venues in our game that maybe mean more than some of the others.
“I want to win more majors. I want to be part of more Ryder Cup teams.
“I’d say my records on either tour, whether it be the DP World Tour or PGA Tour, probably means a little less to me as time moves on.
“It’s really just focusing on the majors and being a part of that Ryder Cup team and trying to build on the legacy I’ve [built] over the last 15 years.”
