Rory McIlroy appeared to drop a subtle retirement hint at the Scottish Open after being asked about competing for the career Grand Slam. The six-time major champion carded a five-under 65 at the Genesis Scottish Open while playing alongside Chris Gotterup and Robert MacIntyre in the final prep event ahead of next week's Open Championship.
McIlroy's Career Grand Slam Achievement
McIlroy added his name to the career grand slam roster last year at the Masters, before collecting another Green Jacket this season. He boasts an impressive catalogue of achievements, and with his schedule thinning, many are curious about what continues to drive the eight-time Ryder Cup representative.
"You said in the past that golf at this level is 75 percent mental," one journalist enquired. "You played for a decade with immense pressure of trying to complete the Grand Slam and now facing a decade where all of that has gone away and you're freewheeling. How liberating is that?"
McIlroy's Response Sparks Retirement Speculation
McIlroy replied with a laugh: "A decade? Well, we'll see. It's a very liberating feeling, but I can't get complacent. I still need to set goals, I still... Scottie talked about it at Shinnecock, if he were to win the Grand Slam the goalposts move and you figure out what else you want to do."
"I said this a few times, I said I felt like the Grand Slam was the destination, it wasn't. It's a continuous journey, it's a journey until you decide you want to step off and do something else. As long as I'm on this journey there will always be goals to achieve."
McIlroy's Reduced Schedule and Family Time
McIlroy has deliberately trimmed his schedule of late, having teed up in just five PGA Tour events this year outside of the major championships. "The benefits are seeing my family more," said McIlroy, speaking about his scaled-back diary. "Feeling like I have a bit more balance in my life."
"And then the challenge is, I feel like even though I have played pretty sparsely over the past few months, the starts of my tournaments have all been really good. So it's not like I'm coming in and starting slow, and the little bit of extra practice I think actually helps in some ways."
"I think one of the other benefits for me, like I'm nearly 20 years into this, and I need to do everything I can to keep my enthusiasm as high as possible, and playing a lighter schedule definitely does that."
