It was a solid 2022 calendar year for Rory McIlroy, who shot back to the #1 spot in the OWGR and came from behind to overtake Scottie Scheffler in the TOUR Championship to win the 2022 FedEx Cup.
With the FedEx Cup win, McIlroy became the first 3X golf playoff champion, and he had three wins overall on the Tour last year, also claiming the CJ Cup and the RBC Canadian Open.
For any other golfer, three Tour wins, including a FedEx Cup championship, would be considered a career year, but McIlroy has to deal with the elephant in the room that is not winning a major since the 2014 PGA Championship. Jack Nicklaus said of McIlroy in 2014 that he could go on to win “15-20 majors,” but the drought now enters year nine. Here is what McIlroy’s 2023 looks like.
More Wins Coming
McIlroy already has a win in the 2022/23 season, going back-to-back at the CJ Cup in the only event he played on the PGA Tour. That was an impressive win for McIlroy, considering it was the most competitive event of the Fall leg of the schedule, with the field including Jon Rahm, Sam Burns, Matt Fitzpatrick, Cameron Young, Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, and Jordan Spieth.
We don’t know what McIlroy’s schedule looks like in 2023, but with changes that include top players being required to play a minimum of 20 events, there are going to be some victories to be had. McIlroy played in 16 events last year, and also had a runner-up at the Masters and a third place at the Open Championship to go along with his three wins.
All About the Majors
It seems that no matter how many tournaments McIlroy wins in a season, he’s always going to have his detractors unless he wins a major. The Holywood, Northern Ireland native still needs a victory at Augusta to complete his “Rory Slam” of winning all four major titles. Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods are the only five golfers to ever complete the career grand slam.
What’s been especially frustrating for McIlroy is that he’s been close to adding a green jacket to his wardrobe. He shot a final round 64 to move from ninth to second on Sunday at Augusta this past April, but he was still three strokes back from a dominant Scheffler.
McIlroy has finished in the top 10 in six of his last eight trips to Augusta but has never been able to get over the hump for a win. This past season McIlroy finished in the top 10 of all four majors, also coming in 8th at the PGA Championship, T5 at the U.S. Open, and 3rd at the Open Championship.
In 2023 the Open Championship returns to Royal Liverpool, where McIlroy won in 2014. If he’s healthy, he’ll be the favorite in that event, but you know the big one McIlroy is looking for in 2023 is the Masters – and at this point in his career he deserves it.
