“Needs to win a major,” PGA Tour veteran claims Rory McIlroy’s 2025 season will not be considered ‘successful’ if he fails to capture a major championship

Rory McIlroy has not tasted major success since he won the PGA Championship for a second time in August 2014.

“Needs to win a major,” PGA Tour veteran claims Rory McIlroy’s 2025 season will not be considered ‘successful’ if he fails to capture a major championship

Rory McIlroy (Image via Imago)

On Monday, Rory McIlroy clinched his 2nd The Players Championship title after beating J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff round. This win marked the first time he had won on US soil before April. A PGA Tour veteran dropped a bold take after his win and claimed that he still “needs to win a major” to call his 2025 season a ‘successful‘ one.

After collapsing in the 2011 Masters Tournament, McIlroy bounced back and took home the U.S. Open that year. In the span of three years, he added 3 more major championships to his name as he also won the PGA Championship and the Open Championship.

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Since his triumph in August 2014 at the PGA Championship, McIlroy has not tasted major success. On several occasions, he has come closer to breaking that drought but ended up as the runner-up in some heartbreaking fashion.

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As per PGA Tour veteran Brendon de Jonge, McIlroy needs to end this drought this year to consider his 2025 a successful one. The Zimbabwean golfer pointed out the locations of the majors this year and how that could become a factor for him.

You know, Quail Hollow, Quail Hollow, he’s dominated that place. He’s going back to Northern Ireland to Royal Portrush. He’s going to be a huge fan favorite there. Masters should set up beautifully for him. And Oakmont is, you know, typically a driver’s golf course. So yes, Rory needs to win a major still for it to be considered a successful year.

Brendon De Jonge said on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio

McIlroy’s lack of success in the majors has led to many wondering whether he could win them again. Golf legend Jack Nicklaus though has backed him and claimed that the North Irish golfer still has a lot of majors left in him.

With The Players Championship triumph, McIlroy has become a huge favorite for the upcoming Masters Tournament. This is one event that he is eager to win. A win at the Augusta National will see him complete the career grand slam and become just the 6th player to achieve this feat.

Rory McIlroy’s The Players Championship wins brings improved TV ratings

Rory McIlroy‘s win at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass also brought out a win for the PGA Tour. His win saw an increase in the TV ratings compared to Scottie Scheffler‘s win last season.

Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy (Image via X/Golf Channel)

According to Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal, the final round of The Players Championship on Sunday drew 3.6 million average viewers on NBC. This was a slight increase from last year. Scottie Scheffler’s back-to-back triumph had brought in 3.5 million views.

As per Carpenter, the peak audience also improved from last year. While there were 6 million viewers last year, this year the peak audience measured at 7 p.m. ET, was around 6.2 million.

However, the numbers in 2025 were still a bit far away from the 2023 ones. During Scheffler’s first triumph in this event, the viewership reached at 4.1 million.

Meanwhile, the playoff round on Monday morning between Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun brought in 1.5 million viewers. Considering the time and day of this, this is being seen as a big number for the PGA Tour.

Brandel Chamblee takes another dig at Jon Rahm after Rory McIlroy’s The Players Championship win

After Rory McIlroy’s win at The Players Championship, Golf analyst Brandel Chamblee took another dig at Jon Rahm. This time the Golf Channel analyst compared the viewership between his win in LIV Golf’s season finale and McIlroy triumph on Monday.

Jon Rahm, Brandel Chamblee and Rory McIlroy
Jon Rahm, Brandel Chamblee and Rory McIlroy (Image via Imago)

Rahm, who left the PGA Tour in December 2023 to join LIV Golf, won the LIV Golf Individual title in his debut season. Despite his star presence, the 54-hole circuit failed to attract a huge number of viewers.

Taking to his X account, Chamblee claimed that people watch events that matter to them and thus indirectly took a swipe at the PIF-funded league.

Compare this to LIV’s finale last year that concluded in prime time on the east coast with Rahm winning…which drew 55,000 viewers. People tune in to sports that matter.

Brandel Chamblee on X

While LIV Golf has struggled with viewership, they have also seen some increase last year. The deal with Fox Sports could see their numbers rise even further by the time the 2025 season is done.