"Grumpy" Rory McIlroy told he can't have it both ways if he wants to win more majors

Two-time European Tour winner Rob Lee says Rory McIlroy will "have to play a bit more" if he still wants to win more majors.  

The Northern Irishman, 37, has played a reduced schedule in 2026. 

After defending his Masters title in April, the six-time major champion has teed up in just five official PGA Tour events. 

He took an extended break after The Open in July, only returning to competitive action as the playoffs got underway in Memphis. 

McIlroy laboured to a 66th-placed finish at the FedEx St. Jude Championship but bounced back a week later, ultimately coming up short to Wyndham Clark at the BMW Championship. 

Over the weekend, McIlroy brought down the curtain on his PGA Tour season by finishing in a share of fourth at the Tour Championship, an impressive result given he was seven strokes adrift of the lead after 36 holes.

"That just tells you how good he is," Lee told the Sky Sports Golf Podcast, adding that McIlroy looked "slightly grumpy". 

Lee continued: "He's just slightly off that kind of affable, bouncy Rory that we normally see. 

"So there's stuff going on with him… Rory's in this position. He's played golf for 20 years at the highest level. He's 37.

"He realises there are other things in life, but the last thing he wants to do is not be able to be peak Rory. 

"So his conundrum is 'how much can I pare back my schedule, but still perform the way I know I can?' That's the place he's in now.

"37 is still golfing prime. It's going to come down, for him, to desire. 

"How much does he still want it? And if he still wants it, I think he's going to have to play a bit more."

McIlroy admitted after he won his first Masters title in 2025 that he struggled for motivation after finally climbing his own personal Everest. 

In the aftermath of his second victory at Augusta National, he stressed that he still has a lot left to achieve. 

He spoke of his desire to win The Open at St Andrews, win the U.S. Open at an "iconic venue", become Europe's all-time leading points scorer in the Ryder Cup and also collect an Olympic medal. 

The Open will head back to the Old Course in 2027 and the U.S. Open is being staged at Pebble Beach. 

"I absolutely think he can win more majors," Lee added. "But going along with that is you sacrifice your home life. 

"You're not as home as much as you want to be… I actually think Rory is in mentally quite a good place at the moment, and he is focused on some family stuff at the moment."

McIlroy, at least in the short-term, is unlikely to change his mind and play more. 

On Sunday, he told reporters that his "fuse" is shorter than it used to be and he will never play four events in a row anymore.

Asked how he maintains his stamina over the course of a season, McIlroy said: "I think once you lose your enthusiasm to go to the course, it is time to take a break. I've turned up to events that I haven't necessarily wanted to be there because I feel like I should be there.

"If I show up at a tournament, I want to perform at my best and play my best, and there has been times when I haven't done that, and it's frustrating to me.

"But at the same time, no one wants to see me go through the motions.

"This is my third week in a row. I rarely do that anymore, and I feel like that is my limit. If I had to tee up again next week, that to me is tough.

"I think the last time I played four in a row might have been in 2024, and in the fourth week, I was done.

"I am never doing that again. But again, I am 37. This is my 18th or 19th year as a professional, so my fuse is a little shorter than it used to be."

McIlroy will be back in action at the Amgen Irish Open over 9-13 September. 

After that, McIlroy will head to Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship a week later. 

He will end his season in the Middle East and is set to battle his former Ryder Cup rival Patrick Reed for the Race to Dubai title. 

McIlroy is also making another trip to India.