“McIlroy! That’s his masterpiece!” exclaimed the commentator as Rory dropped to his knees with the emotional weight of his winning nudge. When the Masters week came close in the past 10 seasons, all eyes were on Rory McIlroy. The golfer who has been struggling since 2014 to clinch his career Grand Slam has seen it all. The criticism or the backlash from the fans for his performance. Even for him, it has been a difficult journey. However, now that he has finally won the Masters, the Northern Irishman considers it the best moment of his career.
However, relief after 10 years, there has still been speculation about his preference. Recently, during the Masters’ final round, Jack Nicklaus joined for an interview with the Golf Channel. Earlier when before the event, the 6-time-Masters winner pointed out McIlroy’s flaw, saying, “The discipline to do that is what Rory has lacked.”
Now, Nicklaus shared his choice on behalf of McIlroy between the two missing pieces of his career. Interestingly, his statement raised the eyebrows of the entire golf community. Then, Shane Ryan shared his quotes on X from the interview at the Golf Channel. During this, he said, “If you asked Rory whether he’d rather have the career grand slam or the Masters, he’d choose the Masters every time.” What? How can the two be compared, given the obvious Grand Slam chronology? Well, if you’d ask the golfer for his opinion in the past 10, it would be winning the Masters to secure his long-awaited career Grand Slam. But preferring just the most prestigious event (the Masters) over the coveted Slam isn’t what aligned most of the fans.
The golfer who won his last major in 2014 has been under scrutiny for his final missing piece to complete the Grand Slam. For which the golfer’s astonishing performance has offered relief, as after clinching the title, his emotions were evident. He hugged Harry Diamond, then wiped tears away to lift his daughter, before meeting other well-wishers. The 6th player to achieve a career Grand Slam.
quoting verbatim from Jack Nicklaus on Golf Channel: “If you asked Rory whether he’d rather have the career grand slam or the Masters, he’d choose the Masters every time.”
Jack, there’s something you should know about a key component of the career grand slam…
— Shane Ryan (@ShaneRyanHere) April 14, 2025
But for Jack Nicklaus, his take on the Grand Slam ladder boomeranged criticisms from fans. After the post surfaced, fans started slamming the former professional for his thoughts in the comments section.
Nicklaus Roasted Over McIlroy Grand Slam Take
Breaking the ice with the 2011 US Open, then the 2012 PGA Championship, followed by the 2014 Open Championship and the 2014 PGA Championship, to finally kiss the Green Jacket – Rory McIlroy strolled quickly before slowing down to reach the peak, Grand Slam. Regardless of the speed, that’s how it works! So now, with Nicklaus’s absurd comparison, the fans have shown no mercy to him for it.
One fan wrote, “Jack’s mind has been mush for a few years.” The golfer who is known for his exceptional performance has now chosen a different side as he became a critic, with his thoughts being against the community’s thinking. Earlier at the Masters, when he commented on Phil Mickelson, current playing status. The fans barged in, disrespecting the fellow golfer. Even his current statement on McIlory invited a similar backlash.
More fans joined, and one shared his thoughts after the former professional joined the panel, as he wrote, “Going straight to Jack on the golf channel was such a buzzkill.” With the past instances of criticizing fellow golfers. He is also being called a “Hypocrite” for his stance on assessing players.
Netizen jokingly on his speculation for choices wrote, “He knows that. In this case, the chicken comes before the egg,” and “Fun fact- ole (Old) Jack ain’t that smart.” The pun intended comments were pointing towards the obvious chronology, which was missed by Nicklaus. According to fans, Masters would be the priority for McIlroy, but for securing his career Grand Slam, not solely the green jacket. However, for the veteran, it was the opposite, which invited comments on his intelligence.
Now, with the comments, Golden Bear’s thoughts on the Northern Irishman have been discarded. But is that what McIlroy prefers in reality? What are your thoughts on it? Share with us in the comments below.
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