Rory McIlroy‘s career trajectory, with his ongoing performance, has raised new concerns. But now that he has turned 36, he talks about how it will all end, once he retires. Talking about the most significant upcoming competition, i.e., the Ryder Cup 2025, he shockingly shared an update for his retirement plan.

McIlroy said, “It is a struggle for me to love the position I am in all the time.”

Further, he added, “There are times when I would like to just breeze through life and not get the attention I do, but I understand that with what I have done in the game, that is just part of it. There are times that I yearn for a little anonymity and having a quieter life.”

With the long-awaited grand slam title, Rory McIlroy became the only six golfers to achieve that feat. In fact, he has a total of 45 wins, placing him #2 on the OWGR. However, with that exceptional performance, he has garnered extra attention, which has put him under strain personally and increased his desire for normalcy and privacy. Having over 8.5 million followers on social media and millions of others, the golfer is among the top names golf enthusiasts want to witness. Notably, his performance at the Amgen Irish Open was proof of it, as 20,000 fans followed him with each shot at the event. However, he further discussed the phase ending and his plan.

McIlroy shockingly said, “That will happen one day. This is my time in the sun. In 10 years, it won’t be, and that is my time to enjoy that part of it.”

Winning the 2025 Masters, securing the rare feat of a Grand Slam, Rory definitely makes a point. These years, even though chaotic,
will someday end, and the Northern Irishman won’t be able to experience this legendary status again.

Even he recently, during the BMW Championship, shared that, “I don’t want to be grinding out here at 50 years of age. I’ll turn up and play the majors and have a nice time, but you know, whenever I’m done, I’m done.”

However, no matter how shocking, this is not the first time he has talked about his retirement.

Earlier, before the 2025 Players Championship, he shared his retirement plan. He said, “I’d like to walk away with a little bit left in the tank. I don’t want to be out there embarrassing myself.”

McIlroy aims to play well and keep that outstanding performance till his final game, but also not pushing his age too far past that he starts to become obsolete in the game. In that way, he can leave the game with a little more grace and dignity.

And, he already sees that which might be the reason why he has started to take up more and more responsibilities

Rory McIlroy is taking up new challenges

With the plan of retirement clear for McIlroy, he is utilizing the time to advance the sport across the globe and even work on the goals of his caddie

The golfer has shared his schedule, including the DP World India Championship and the Australian Open, for this year. This will be the first time at the event. In fact, he had taken part in events that most pros skip. Earlier in 2024, he shared the significance of the national opens and the 2024 RBC Canadian Open.

“I think that they’re the oldest championships in our game and I think they’re very, very important.”

Not just for the golf community, but McIlroy has also set goals for his caddie’s future after winning the Grand Slam in 2025.

During the Off The Ball interview, he shared, “I think what I didn’t plan for or what I didn’t think about was how I was going to feel afterwards in terms of getting motivated again…..it’s Harry said to me pretty soon after I won [at] Augusta… he said, ‘it’s great you’ve won the Grand Slam, but I haven’t yet’. So I was like That’s… wow! It’d be cool to be able to win with Harry.”

Diamond joined the golfer in 2017 during his rough phase in his career. Since then, the duo has won 15 events on the PGA Tour, but only one major, which is the Masters Tournament. Now with just one major win in the portfolio for Harry Diamond, McIlroy has a new target to achieve.

What do you think about Rory McIlroy’s approach towards the probable decade as a professional? Share with us in the comments below.