Padraig Harrington: Rory McIlroy Could Win 15 Major Championships

Rory McIlroy’s Masters victory could be just the beginning of something special, according to golf legend Padraig Harrington.

The three-time Major winner thinks McIlroy, now 35, is built for long-term success in a way few other players are.

“His game is futureproof,” Harrington told the Golf Channel. “He’s not a guy who gets injured, he’s extremely powerful. It doesn’t matter that all these kids coming out of college are hitting it miles.”

The Masters win finally completed McIlroy’s career Grand Slam, a feat only five other players have achieved. But Harrington sees it as a launching pad, not a finish line.

“Now that he’s over that… we’re going to talk about whether he can beat Nick Faldo at six Majors, or whether he can get to 10 Majors,” Harrington said. “We’re going to talk about whether he can get to 15 Majors and whether he can get to 18 Majors.”

What makes McIlroy different? For one thing, he’s still the longest hitter out there. The young guns might be closing the gap a bit, but they’re not going to overpower him.

There’s also his approach to staying fit. “His gym time is a way for him to improve and get better, and he likes the gym,” Harrington explained. “That takes away from him having to hit as many golf balls. He stays healthy because of it.”

Dr. Bob Rotella, one of golf’s top psychologists who worked with McIlroy at Augusta, believes the Masters breakthrough will “free him up” for even more wins.

“He’s a bit of a golf nerd,” Harrington added with a smile. “He’s never going to give it up.”

McIlroy has talked about not playing on the Champions Tour when he’s older, but Harrington sees that differently. “That’s a protection method… In his head, he has to say there is an end, but before that end we could talk about 10 to 15 Majors. Crazy stuff now that he has the last of the Grand Slam.”

The golf world is watching to see what McIlroy does next. With the pressure of the Masters finally behind him, this could be the start of something truly special.