Sir Nick Faldo reckons Rory McIlroy's chances of adding to his tally of five major championship wins will be tough.
McIlroy, 36, enjoyed a phenomenal start to his professional career and by the time he was 25 he had already won the PGA Championship twice, the US Open and The Open.
But it took the Ulsterman until 13 April 2025 to finally fulfil a childhood ambition of winning The Masters and completing the career grand slam.
Many have predicted that an unburdened McIlroy will now easily surpass Faldo's record of six major wins and possibly end up in the double digits.
But the 68-year-old Englishman believes McIlroy's Masters victory took its toll and it will be difficult for him to win another.
Sir Nick Faldo
He told the Belfast Telegraph: "Rory has done something absolutely phenomenal.
"After he won his first four, people came to me saying, 'Is he going to win a dozen?'
"But I said — and I was right — that he's either going to be disappointed that he's won 10 or he is going to be ecstatic that he's got to five.
"And it is like climbing Everest, you don't turn around and say 'let's go up again next month.'
"There was so much emotion at Augusta and you cannot reproduce the emotion to win a major like that again, so I think it will be tough for Rory to win another one."
McIlroy held a one-shot lead heading into the 72nd hole of the 2025 Masters. He split the fairway with his tee shot but pushed his approach into the bunker and failed to get up and down to win the tournament in regulation.
He got the best of Justin Rose in a sudden-death play-off, though, making birdie on the 18th before collapsing to the floor in tears and embracing his caddie Harry Diamond.
Faldo is more optimistic about Scottie Scheffler surpassing McIlroy's haul.
The 29-year-old American clinched The Open at Royal Portrush in the summer to add to his two Masters victories and PGA Championship win.
Next June, Scheffler will have the chance to join McIlroy in the record books as goes for the slam when the US Open heads to Shinnecock Hills.
Scottie Scheffler
"Scottie seems to be very clear-headed right now," added Faldo. "He's in that wonderful moment where he trusts his game 100 per cent.
"It's like Tiger was. Scottie's in that lovely mindset and routine of going to every tournament thinking 'how do I find a way to win this?'.
"Whereas other guys are just trying to get to Sunday. Some guys are choking on Thursday, but Scottie is choke free at the moment, which is amazing."
