World No. 3 and two-time major winner Xander Schauffele has hailed Rory McIlroy for his Grand Slam achievement and believes the Northern Irishman could add further Major titles to his cabinet now that he is free of the pressure of completing the Grand Slam.
McIlroy entered the history books by becoming only the sixth player to ever complete the Grand Slam after defeating Justin Rose in a play-off to win this year’s Masters at Augusta National, joining an illustrious list of names including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, and Gary Player.
“Anything to get eyeballs on our game is a good thing, and him winning the Masters, a generational talent to do what he did, is obviously an incredible achievement,” the reigning Open Champion said speaking to reporters at an event at Royal Portrush looking ahead to the tournament in July.
“Again, scary for guys like us. If that was something that was holding him back and now he feels free, that could be a pretty scary thing.”
The American believes that McIlroy could add to his major tally and achieve more records in the sport.
When asked, Schauffele said: “Yeah, I don’t see why he wouldn’t. He has all the tools, I think, when I look at his game and what he can do.”
“Would I be surprised if he started rattling some off? No. Am I going to be there to try and stop him? Absolutely.”
Schauffele has recently recovered from a rib injury that caused him to miss around two months of the season. He took part in the Masters earlier this month where he produced a T8 finish and revealed his own ambitions of joining McIlroy in the list of players to have won all four Majors.
“It’s something that’s been written down a long time ago and something I think every golfer should try and achieve,” he said.
“There’s a reason there’s only been six of them (male golfers) to ever do it. But until last year it felt like it was impossible, almost.
“After a year like last year, it definitely lets a young pro like myself dream a little bit more again.
“It’s something I definitely look forward to challenging myself to accomplish in my career. It’ll be a lot of fun to try and do.”
Schauffele will look to defend his Open Championship title at Royal Portrush, the event taking place between 17-20 July.