“He's had so many chances” - $218M-worth LIV Golfer makes feelings known about Rory McIlroy’s career grand slam win

Rory McIlroy finally won the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club last month to end his decade-long major drought. The Northern Irishman also achieved his long-awaited career Grand Slam with the Green Jacket triumph. The ace golfer’s LIV Golf rival Jon Rahm has now come out to laud the achievement. Interestingly, the Spaniard noted that the 35-year-old could’ve ‘achieved so much more’ if he the Masters 2011 had ‘gone his way.’

Speaking ahead of the PGA Championship, Rahm dubbed the Masters a ‘very difficult hurdle to overcome’ for McIlroy while lauding the latter’s game. The 2023 Green Jacket winner opined the five-time major champion ‘had so many chances’ to take the big victory.

However, the $218M-worth LIV star admitted the grand slam win was “never easy” and said he wouldn’t be surprised if the reigning The Players champion went on another strong run in the major championships like Xander Schauffele did last year.

Replying to a media query on whether he ever doubted Rory McIlroy’s ability to achieve a career grand slam, Jon Rahm replied, as quoted by ASAP Sports:

“No. To be honest, if that Masters in '11 had gone his way, I think he would have achieved so much more than he has already. I think it's been a very difficult hurdle to overcome, and you could see his emotion towards the end just because his real first chance to win a major, how it went down… I understand he won the US Open shortly after by a record margin, but every time he went to Augusta, that was on his mind.

It's funny to me, when you see Rory's game, every time I went down to Augusta National, I'm like, if there's ever a golf course that is perfect for this man who can hit a high draw on command better than anybody else, has great hands and great touch, it's him… He's had so many chances. It's just, it's never easy. It's very difficult. I would not be one bit surprised if this lifted a weight off his shoulders that could get him going on another run, a bit like Xander did last year.”

Rahm also recalled Scottie Scheffler’s big results in 2024 and said a ‘player of McIlroy’s caliber’ could replicate such a run of form.

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Jon Rahm downplays the goal of a career grand slam

Rahm clinched his maiden major championship title in 2021, when he won the US Open. The Spaniard went on to win the Masters in 2023, thus joining the rare two-time major winners’ club. However, he has struggled in major outings since. Now, the ace golfer has admitted that he isn’t too caught up on the idea of completing a career grand slam.

The two-time major champion revealed he is more focused on winning a third major like Jordan Spieth, who is the next closest contender to complete a grand slam. Rahm said he’ll ‘focus more on quantity of majors’ rather than picking the ones to win. He lauded Sir Nick Faldo’s three each collection of Masters and The Open Championship titles instead of having three different ones.

Jon Rahm said:

“What is it, six people now in history that have been able to do it? Yeah. I would love to do it. Obviously, it's not easy… I think obviously it would be a lot more on my mind if I were to win a third different one, kind of like Jordan has been able to do…

I'll focus more on quantity of majors rather than which ones obviously, in the sense of let's say I never achieve it, I'd rather have a situation like Sir Nick Faldo where he has six of two of them instead of having maybe three different ones… Now, if you get all four of them, and if you won each one once, I think it's so significant that you might take that over six.”

The LIV star reiterated that he’d shift focus to a possible grand slam if he wins a third major at the upcoming PGA Championship or The Open. The 30-year-old, who made the controversial move to the Saudi league in 2023 after his Masters win, admitted the four-major challenge is a “goal for all of us who play the game.”