Rory McIlroy admits that even at the top of the game, life on tour can be challenging. Outside of the majors, the world number two says the week-to-week grind can be a “struggle at times”.McIlroy has already achieved a lot in his career. He won the US Open in 2011, the Open Championship in 2014, and the PGA Championship twice, in 2019 and 2025. His recent win at the 2025 Masters completed his career Grand Slam.Despite his achievements, Rory McIlroy says the tour can be tough, and he focuses mainly on the events that matter most to him.“I have realised over the past few years that when all is said and done, people aren’t going to remember how much money I won. What they are going to remember is how many majors I won. So getting up for those? Not a concern at all. It’s the week-in, week-out stuff that I have found a bit of a struggle at times. The majors and the Ryder Cup are the five things in golf that at this point really matter to me,” McIlroy told The Guardian.Rory McIlroy has won five tournaments this year, but his form slipped after the Masters, including missing the cut at the Canadian Open by 12 shots. He bounced back by winning the Irish Open earlier this month. Next week, he will lead Europe at the 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, where they will take on Team USA. McIlroy believes Europe has what it takes to win, just like they did in 2023.“I think one of the biggest accomplishments in golf is winning an away Ryder Cup. And that is what we’re going to do at Bethpage,” he said.Europe has claimed victory in five of the last seven Ryder Cups. Apart from Rory McIlroy, team Europe includes Jon Rahm, Shane Lowry, Ludvig Åberg, Tyrrell Hatton, Justin Rose, Robert MacIntyre, Sepp Straka, Viktor Hovland, Rasmus Højgaard, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Tommy Fleetwood.Rory McIlroy opens up about the pressures of fameBeing a top golfer isn’t always easy, and Rory McIlroy knows that. Off the course, the attention and pressure can be overwhelming, and he sometimes wishes for a quieter life.“It is a struggle for me to love the position I am in all the time. There are times when I would like to just breeze through life and not get the attention I do but I understand that with what I have done in the game, that is just part of it. There are times that I yearn for a little anonymity and having a quieter life. That will happen one day. This is my time in the sun. In 10 years it won’t be and that is my time to enjoy that part of it” McIlroy said.In the Ryder Cup, he has appeared seven times, helping Europe to five team wins and two losses. Individually, he has 16 wins, 13 losses, and four ties, earning 54.5 percent of possible points, ranking eighth all-time.