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Rory McIlroy Is Ready for More After Second Masters Win

Rory McIlroy made history after his second straight Masters win, and now he's back to where it all began at the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Club.

Sports • May 7, 2026
Rory McIlroy Masters 2026
Written by ZACH ROBERTS
Photography BILL STREICHER-IMAGN IMAGES


Rory McIlroy has essentially done what there is to do in golf. He won the career Grand Slam last year, then followed it up by winning back-to-back Masters this year. There’s not much more for the Irishman to achieve. Yet, he still feels like there’s plenty left for him in the sport, and he’s ready to get started this week at the tournament that literally started it all.

Rory McIlroy back where it all began

At the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow Golf Club, Rory McIlroy won his first-ever tournament 16 years ago. Little did anyone know what would follow the first win. He’s gone on to win all four Majors, some multiple times, and added 29 other PGA Tour wins.

He hasn’t played since capturing the Masters title for the second straight year, but he’s back in action at the Truist Championship. He feels like this is one he can perform well at and keep his momentum heading into the PGA Championship next week.

“I really feel like this tournament got my career going,” McIlroy said. “This is 16 years I’ve been coming here, so it’s been a fun place, I’ve had success. It’s somewhere I always love coming back to.” McIlroy has been off for three weeks, but said he is excited for the journey ahead of him that begins in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Not quite life-changing

Rory McIlroy had been chasing an accomplishment for over a decade. In the process, he’d suffered some truly agonizing defeats. Even before he notched the third of four career Majors, he was a part of some brutal losses at Augusta National. When he finally broke through, he thought it would totally change his life.

“I felt like winning the Grand Slam was going to be this life-changing thing, and in some ways it was, but in other ways I had to remember, like, ‘No, I still have a lot of my career left and I want to keep playing and keep competing,'” he said. “So this year I think winning was validation for all the work that I’ve put in over the last few years to get myself back to this place where I’m winning majors.”

He has now followed that historic 2025 win with a second straight Masters win, also of the historic nature. He became the fourth to ever win consecutive Masters, joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Nick Faldo. That was absolutely cause for celebrating before the golfer got back to it.

“I gave myself a good 10 days to enjoy myself and then thought I needed to get back on the range and start to practice and get ready for this stretch coming up,” McIlroy said. This week, he is one of the favorites at the Truist, and it will be interesting to see how he does in his immediate but delayed return to golf after the Masters.

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Zach Roberts
By Zach Roberts
Zachary Roberts has written in the sports industry for over four years. He's covered the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Seattle Seahawks, and wider coverage of the NFL, pro golf, NHL, MLB, and NBA. He has worked with ComicBook, Sportskeeda, The Sporting News, and the On SI Network. In his free time, Zachary loves playing video games, watching movies, or reading books.

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