Paul McGinley makes Rory McIlroy major prediction

Paul McGinley has warned that there is no “foregone conclusion” that Rory McIlroy will win another major this season, but expects the Masters champion to be “freed up” after completing the career grand slam.

An unburdened McIlroy is being widely tipped to add to his five major wins after the historic victory at Augusta National which ended a drought in the big four events that had extended 11 years.

The Northern Irishman, who finished in a tie for 12th with Shane Lowry at last week’s Zurich Classic team event, is the favourite heading to Quail Hollow for the PGA Championship next month.

He has won four times around the Charlotte course and has said after his dramatic Masters win he is “playing with free house money now” after years of “pent-up disappointment.”

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After Quail Hollow he’ll head to Oakmont for the US Open – a tournament in which McIlroy has been runner-up in the past two seasons – before a big homecoming in July’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Inevitably, there is huge excitement around what the liberated McIlroy can do next. McGinley, however, has urged caution in what is a fiercely competitive era.

“I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion he wins another one this year,” the former Ryder Cup captain told SportsBoom.

“There’s competition, of course there is. I mean, Scottie Scheffler is going to get better as the season goes on. Xander’s going to get better as the season goes on.

“But Rory is freed up now. You know, it’s been a big, big monkey on his back, and you know the criticism that he’s got over the years has been quite relentless at times.

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“Nobody gets more heat than he does, so I think he will feel relieved and a freedom mentally, which means he can perform at his best physically.

“When he went down to his knees it was really the human story of what he did there, of the bouncing back from not winning in regulation play and of not winning Majors and the Masters for those years.

“And we are thankful and grateful he did – I’m delighted, because the game needed that kind of story.

“The game needed a superstar, something big to happen in it, and a Grand Slam winner is something big.”