Gary Player stunned by Rory McIlroy comments as golf legend makes feelings clear

Gary Player has admitted he is “shocked” by Rory McIlroy’s recent comments about his motivation, insisting the Northern Irishman should be chasing another career Grand Slam rather than winding down his schedule.

McIlroy completed golf's career Grand Slam by winning The Masters in April 2025, joining an elite group of just six players to have achieved the feat, and he then became the fourth player in history 12 months later to successfully defend the famous Green Jacket. 

Now aged 37, the six-time major champion has made no secret of the fact his priorities have already begun to change. After collecting virtually every major honour available to him, McIlroy has already reduced his playing commitments as he looks to spend more time with his wife Erica and daughter Poppy.

That attitude has left Player, a nine-time major champion and fellow career Grand Slam winner, struggling to understand his thinking.

Speaking to The Golf Supply this week, the 90-year-old South African took particular aim at McIlroy's suggestion that he no longer feels the same desire to play as frequently.

“I hear Rory with the best swing in the world saying, ‘now I’ve won the Grand Slam, I don’t have the same desire to play a lot’. Man, he should be saying, ‘I want to win another Grand Slam’. I’m shocked,” said Player. 

Player was equally dismissive of another recent McIlroy comment concerning his approach to practice.

“And then he says, ‘I don’t believe in hitting a lot of balls’. Well, that’s c–p. If you hit a lot of balls, you build up a determination and it makes you work harder, makes your muscles better. He comes out with very strange things.”

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Player's argument is particularly interesting given McIlroy still has a chance to achieve something only a handful of golfers in history have managed.

Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus are the only two players in the history of the sport to have completed more than one career grand slam, with both players have done it three times. 

Having already won all six majors, McIlroy would need another U.S. Open and Open Championship title to complete a double career Grand Slam, something Player failed to achieve with just one U.S. Open to his name in 1965. 

The South African won nine majors in total, which puts him tied fourth in the all-time major wins list alongside late great Ben Hogan. 

Player won three Masters (1961, 1974, 1978), three Opens (1959, 1968, 1974) and two PGA Championships (1962, 1972). 

McIlroy, who ranks tied 12th as it stands in the all-time major wins list, will have an opportunity for the double career slam at iconic venues in 2027, with the U.S. Open heading to Pebble Beach from 17-20 June before The Open returns to the Old Course at St Andrews from 15-18 July. 

McIlroy has also won 30 PGA Tour titles including a record three FedEx Cups, as well as seven Race to Dubai titles on the DP World Tour, leaving him just one behind Colin Montgomerie's Order of Merit haul of eight, something he can match this November. 

At the minute he narrowly trails his former Ryder Cup arch-rival Patrick Reed at the top of the DP World Tour Rankings, but it's still all very much to play for with some huge events approaching, including this week's Irish Open, next week's BMW PGA at Wentworth and the season-ending Playoffs.

The European hero has also made eight straight Ryder Cup appearances, where he has been on the winning side an impressive six times.

For now though, McIlroy is concentrating on the Irish Open at Trump Doonbeg, where he is defending the title he won at the K Club last season.

A third Irish Open victory would put him alongside Seve Ballesteros, Colin Montgomerie, Sir Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer as the tournament's only three-time winners.

The Irish Open has already provided McIlroy with plenty to discuss away from his own ambitions.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend the latter stages of the tournament at his Doonbeg resort this weekend, with McIlroy admitting his presence will make the event feel “different”.

“But at the same time, if he wants to come and watch the Irish Open, who are we to say no?” McIlroy said.

McIlroy has also been asked about LIV Golf's bankruptcy protection filing, predicting that some stars will now depart the league. 

“I would predict that you'll see some guys leave,” he said, arguing that the changes could ultimately benefit the DP World Tour.

“I think that are means other tours have decisions to make, and obviously there's a lot of players on LIV that can strengthen golf tournaments and make them more competitive. So I would see that as a good thing for the DP World Tour.”

McIlroy may have already ticked off almost every box in the game, but his CV still leaves him with targets to chase. 

A record eighth Race to Dubai title, an Olympic gold medal in 2028 and the chance to add another U.S. Open and Open to his collection would all give him fresh motivation — should he decide he wants it.

For now, though, that decision belongs entirely to McIlroy. 

Player may be stunned by his change in mindset, but the Northern Irishman has earned the right to decide how he wants to approach the next chapter of his career. The question is whether he will heed Player's advice and go hunting for another Grand Slam, or finally step back and enjoy the extraordinary career he has already built.