Where does McIlroy rank among greats after Masters defence?
Rory McIlroy has added a rare Masters defence to the career Grand Slam - now he is aiming to keep climbing the all-time list of major victories.
A surefire sign of a sports star who wants to achieve true greatness is the ability to recalibrate, realign and reach their next goal. Jack Nicklaus had that quality. Tiger Woods also had it.
Rory McIlroy is highly unlikely to reach the same number of major wins as the two finest golfers to have ever picked up a club but, after becoming only the fourth player to successfully defend the Masters title, he has shown he has the same ability to chase down new targets. Last year at Augusta National, McIlroy also earned his place in history as the sixth man to sweep the board at the four major tournaments - the Masters, US PGA Championship, the Open Championship and the US Open. Afterwards, he searched for new purpose having scaled his "golfing Everest".
It is no secret of where his ambitions lie now: climbing as high as possible on the list of major wins. "If you win more than one major you're semi-elite. To have won three of the majors means you have had an exceptional career," Ken Brown, the BBC golf commentator and former European Ryder Cup player said.
"But to win the Grand Slam and back-to-back Masters? It puts you in the spot where you are living with the absolute greats who have played the game in the modern era. " After securing a sixth major title at Augusta National on Sunday, where does the 36-year-old from Northern Ireland go next and where does he now sit in the pantheon of golfing greats?
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