Rory McIlroy looks for 'another mountain to climb' in home Open

June 16, 2025

Much has been made of Rory McIlroy’s motivation struggles after the Masters and the Irishman has set himself a new goal ahead of next month’s Open Championship.

McIlroy described getting over the hump at Augusta National as climbing his Everest and now believes he has to make his way back down and look for a new mountain to conquer.

The 36-year-old said the upcoming Open Championship on home soil at Royal Portrush is certainly one of those but his recent form leaves much to be desired and in order to give himself a chance of reaching the next peak, he’ll need to show massive improvements.

McIlroy completed the career grand slam when winning the Masters in April and later admitted he’s struggling to stay motivated after a triumph that eluded him for so long.

Golfing immortality can be a lonely place but McIlroy is backing himself to give a good account in the final major of the season.

“If I can’t get motivated to get up for an Open Championship at home, then I don’t know what can motivate me.

“I climbed my Everest in April and I think after you do something like that, you’ve got to make your way back down and you’ve got to look for another mountain to climb.

“An Open at Portush is certainly one of those.”

McIlroy is a best price 13/2 with the top betting sites in Ireland for glory and The Open is a tournament he’s enjoyed continued success in, lifting the Claret Jug in 2014 at Royal Liverpool and posting seven top-10 finishes since 2010.

He missed the cut when The Open was last held at Royal Portrush in 2019, even carding a quadruple-bogey on his opening hole of the tournament but with the weight of the world now off his shoulders, he certainly has the ability to turn that freedom into a deadly weapon.

WATCH: Every shot of Rory McIlroy’s final round 71 to win The Open in 2014

As for motivation, McIlroy only needs to look above him to see what he should be chasing. He is already the greatest European golfer of all-time but eclipsing Nick Faldo’s record of six majors is something that is more than doable.

At his age, he has at least ten more years in his prime and there’s certainly enough reason to believe he could hit the double-digit mark and join an exclusive club that includes only Jack Nicklaus (18), Tiger Woods (15) and Walter Hagen (11).

Royal Portrush is a task tailor-made for McIlroy and there is nothing the island of Ireland would love to see more than a jubilant victory on the north coast.