Rory McIlroy was unstoppable at Augusta National. Now, heading to the final round, he is perfectly lined up to dominate at Aronimink Golf Club, with 3 under par, 3 strokes off the lead. Now, the question arises, after claiming the Green Jacket for the second time in 2026, can he lift his third Wanamaker Trophy? Because one thing is certain: he seems more determined than ever at this point in his career.

But what can be his next big goal? Well, if it wasn’t clear by the title, I believe he should aim for a calendar Grand Slam in 2026. He is in the perfect position to make that happen. His dominating performance at Augusta National showed that he can outplay the best and stay on top comfortably. He has found his composure on the biggest stages. Now it’s time for him to refocus his attention to an emphatic streak this year.

Many before him have tried it. Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods got the closest to achieving it. Hogan couldn’t capture the PGA Championship in 1953. Woods finished fifth in the 2000 Masters Tournament before winning the other three majors that year. He did manage to hold all four titles at the same time by claiming the Green Jacket in 2001. But that can’t be considered a calendar Grand Slam.

McIlroy’s 2026 Masters gameplay showcased his superiority on the golf course. He became the first since Woods to retain the Green Jacket. He also managed to do so quite gloriously as he held a record-breaking 36-hole lead of six strokes against the field. The newest member of the career Grand Slam club doesn’t have the curse of 2011 holding him back anymore.

McIlroy is coming back to Aronimink Golf Club after eight years. The question is, can he triumph there?

Rory McIlroy’s return to Aronimink Golf Club & PGA Championship stats

Geographically, the Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania is the ideal part of the country for Rory McIlroy. Apart from the Masters Tournament now, the PGA Championship is the only other major that he has won twice: Once in Kentucky and the other in South Carolina. Both of his previous triumphs came in the Eastern part of the country, and this also falls in the same region.

In fact, he has already visited the golf club recently. McIlroy confirmed that he paid a visit to Aronimink before the 2026 Truist Championship. He even joked that he spent a week there practicing. But knowing how dedicated he is, you never know, he might have actually done that to get used to the fairways and greens.

McIlroy has already played at the Aronimink previously. He was a part of the field in the 2018 BMW Championship, won by Keegan Bradley. The Northern Irishman finished solo fifth with two strokes behind him.

The course also plays in McIlroy’s favor. Aronimink Golf Club is known to be an ideal destination for long-range drivers with wide and long fairways. The only problem is that the players need to maneuver around the 170+ bunkers on the course. But knowing the 37-year-old’s ability with the driver and the wedge, he won’t have any trouble playing around it.

Speaking of his record at the PGA Championship, he has had 8 top-10 finishes in 17 appearances. Interestingly, the first couple of times McIlroy competed for the Wanamaker Trophy, he finished at T3 on both occasions. Last year, he finished at T47 in the tournament. But with the entire ‘non-confirming’ controversy tailing him around, it must have been challenging for him to concentrate on performing better.

Going back to his statistics from 2018 at Aronimink, McIlroy struggled whenever he was scrambling at 54.55% or in the bunker at 33.33%. He also lost strokes advantage around the green (-1.331) and from putting (-.024). His tee and approach shots are what helped him finish so high on the leaderboard at solo fifth.

When comparing that to the 2026 Masters Tournament, he finished with 67.7% successful sand saves. Interestingly, his driving accuracy and GIR dropped. But his improved ability with the wedge and putter since 2025 has helped him dominate when it matters.

McIlroy only needs to trust the short game ability that he has mastered since last season. It has helped him win five events since January 2025. The same skills also played a major role in helping him overcome the major drought and the Augusta National curse for two consecutive years. I believe if he brings the same confidence to the Aronimink Golf Club, then it will be difficult for anyone to stop him from claiming the Wanamaker Trophy.

Speaking of his stats so far at Aronimink, he has been finding greens in regulation quite consistently so far. His driving distance has also been quite spectacular across 54 holes. McIlroy has also gained enough strokes off putting to give him an advantage on the course. But the final push for the Wanamaker Trophy will require some added effort. As he admitted, the course setup has been far more favorable now than it was before. McIlroy can take advantage of the same and win the major for the third time in his career.

Once the job in Pennsylvania is done, he might take a pit stop or two at Muirfield Village Golf Club and/or TPC Toronto. The Memorial Tournament and the RBC Canadian Open will be the perfect setup for him to lead into the next major of 2026.

Rory McIlroy faces the nightmare of Shinnecock Hills Golf Club for the U.S. Open

The third major of the year, the 2026 U.S. Open, is once again in a part of the country where McIlroy has won a few titles. We go back close to the East Coast in New York as he joins the field at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. It is located 313 miles away from where he won the U.S. Open for the first time as a 22-year-old in 2011, the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

As favorable as it is geographically, McIlroy doesn’t have a great history at the venue. The 2018 U.S. Open, which saw Brooks Koepka win the second major of his career, also witnessed the Northern Irishman’s third missed cut in a row in the major. It was also the last time he registered a score of 10-over par or more.

Yes, seven birdies, nine bogeys, and four double bogeys in 18 holes saw McIlroy exit the event after Friday. It was also the last time he missed the cut in the U.S. Open. Interestingly, he scored even par in the second round. But the struggles from Thursday pushed him out of the tournament.

When we think about the course setup, it’s not the ideal condition for McIlroy to play in. The fairways are narrow and filled with obstacles. The roughs are knee-high and difficult to escape. However, if the drives are accurate, then the firm fairways will help his golf ball roll further than anyone else. Especially considering the spin and angle he can strike his drives with.

It may seem like a haven for short-game experts. But Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth also couldn’t make the cut in the event. So the conditions were definitely unpredictable. McIlroy himself had drastically contrasting rounds on Thursday and Friday.

Going into the major in 2026, he has a lot more momentum on his side. McIlroy has come off seven great performances in the U.S. Open since 2018. The Augusta National triumph and possibly capturing the Wanamaker Trophy will help him a great deal as well. That should be the driving force behind his efforts to win the third major of the year. I believe if he wins at Aronimink, then he will push hard to go all the way at Shinnecock Hills as well.

Then McIlroy will move to his final test of the season. And it will be as close to home as he can get in the PGA Tour season, The Open Championship.

Rory McIlroy’s familiarity with Royal Birkdale Golf Club & The Open Championship

There are very few courses in the United Kingdom where Rory McIlroy doesn’t perform well. And Royal Birkdale Golf Club is no different. The last time he played at the venue, he got an impressive finish here.

Royal Birkdale is in the regular rotation of the Open Championship courses. Over the years, it has seen some big names like Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, and Tom Watson triumph here. The last time the major was played here, it was Jordan Spieth who lifted the Claret Jug in 2017. While Spieth was unstoppable that year, McIlroy also had an impressive finish of T4. In tough conditions, he managed a score of 5-under par, 7 strokes away from the champion.

There were very few aspects of his game in 2018 that could have made the difference between him finishing fourth and winning the. He found the green in regulation only 58.4% of the time, which was the 58th at Royal Birkdale that year. He also could only scramble his way out of tough situations on 13.9% of the time. That was the 61st best on the field.

While the driving accuracy is still a hit-and-miss, McIlroy’s ability with the wedges has significantly improved over the years. This season, he has averaged at 64.10% scrambling par or better saves. That is nearly five times better than what he recorded at Royal Birkdale in 2018.

If he already has the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open titles under his belt, then I believe McIlroy won’t shy away from pushing hard to win The Open Championship. In fact, he may have joked about practicing at the Aronimink Golf Club, but he might actually end up spending a week or two at Royal Birkdale to get his game right. Especially if he is motivated to get into the history books as the first and only player to win the calendar Grand Slam.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR