Rory McIlroy won the Masters in style—steely-eyed, locked in, and finally at peace with Augusta National. After years of heartbreak under those Georgia pines, he stitched together four rounds of golf that were part redemption arc, part history book. The wait was over. The Grand Slam was his. But now? Now the real noise begins.

Because that’s the catch with greatness. The moment you cross off the one thing the world said you couldn’t do—win The Masters, complete the career Grand Slam—you don’t get to rest. You just unlocked the next level. And make no mistake: that level comes with heat. Expectations don’t die with victory—they multiply.

McIlroy, in all his winning glory at the post-Masters press conference, a Green Jacket finally draped over his shoulders, joked, “What are we gonna talk about next year?”

Hilarious to think that Padraig Harrington had the answer locked and loaded. “We’re gonna talk about this year,” he said on an episode of Golf Today on the Golf Channel. “Whether he can make the yearly Grand Slam. We’re gonna talk about whether he can beat Nick Faldo’s record—the 6 Majors. We’re gonna talk whether he can get to 10 Majors. And guess what? We’re gonna talk about whether he can get to 15 Majors. And then we’re gonna talk about whether he can get to 18 Majors.”

McIlroy didn’t just win a golf tournament, he broke the dam. The pent-up heartbreak, the crushing Sundays at Augusta, the scar tissue from near-misses—it all came pouring out. For nearly a decade, every spring, he wore the weight of that missing Major like a second skin. Now? The jacket’s green, the burden’s lifted, and the conversation has shifted permanently.

Harrington, who’s watched Rory grow from wide-eyed prodigy to generational talent, saw it all unfold like a seasoned prophet. And when the Golf Channel host asked him what it felt like to witness McIlroy’s journey since they both stood tied for sixth at the 2007 Open 18 years ago, he didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, look, Rory’s truly been the number one player in golf for the last 14–15 years, you know. Other players have come and gone and become the world number one, but over the whole stretch of time, Rory has always been up there, you know. His game has been exemplary.”

And yet, here’s the kicker. Now the real pressure begins. Because Rory McIlroy is no longer chasing the greats. He’s in the room with them. And the expectations? Sky high. He’s 35. He’s got five Majors. And now, there’s no asterisk, no elephant in the clubhouse, no “yeah, but…” when you mention his name alongside the legends. The conversation got louder, the spotlight got hotter, and the questions just got bigger.

Because for all of Rory’s cool, that Masters win wasn’t clinical—it was cathartic. “The Masters was different, and always was different, you know,” Harrington noted. “He’s carrying a lot of baggage since 2011. He wants it so much. Like, if you watched him in the final 18 holes there—like, we’ve never seen Rory as emotional about a shot. Talking about the shots when the ball is in the air, talking after, you know, bending down, putting his head in his hands—all the way through to the final round. That’s how emotional—how much it meant to him.” But one moment doesn’t stop the clock. It just resets it.

More optimistically, Harrington added, “And the beauty for Rory is his game is future-proofed. He’s not a guy who gets injured. He is extremely powerful. So, it doesn’t matter.”

Yet, as we watch Rory exhale after that monumental win, one thing is clear: the next phase isn’t about relieving pressure; it’s about living up to it. The road ahead won’t be about getting to the Masters, but about what happens after. One thing’s for sure: Rory’s future is anything but predictable.

Harrington admits to the same weakness as McIlroy

Padraig Harrington, speaking to the Irish Independent, reflecting on Rory McIlroy’s Masters victory, offered a brutally honest take on McIlroy’s ability to hold a lead under pressure. “Rory has won from the front plenty of times, but they’re not as big events in the sense that he knows he’s better than everybody else, and he’s… I’m not saying he’s showing off to the crowd, but maybe he is showing off to the crowd,” Harrington noted.

The three-time Major winner compared Rory McIlroy’s mental battle to his own past struggles, admitting that he, too, often struggled with defensive golf. “I fall into the category of really struggling when I’m defensive, and being great with my back to the wall. When I see somebody who is good with a lead, I am fascinated- ‘How can they do that?’” he admitted. McIlroy’s performance showed a more human side to his brilliance, despite being a top-tier talent, his vulnerability in moments of pressure was evident.

Harrington’s insight speaks volumes about McIlroy’s career moving forward. While the victory marked a major milestone, it also served as a reminder that the journey isn’t over—it’s just entering a new, more demanding phase.