“He's still going to win a lot of tournaments” – Jack Nicklaus dismisses worries over Rory McIlroy’s 9-year major drought

Jack Nicklaus feels that Rory McIlroy's major drought is a mystery given his immense talent, but he is confident of the latter adding a few more major wins in the future.

McIlroy's last win at a major championship came at the 2014 PGA Championship. At that time, no one would have thought that the Northern Irishman would go winless in majors for nine years after that.

Since 2015, Rory has had numerous top-10 finishes in all four majors, including a couple of runner-up finishes (the 2018 Open Championship and the 2022 Masters), but has never really been able to cross the last hurdle.

Nicklaus, who holds the record for most wins at majors, was asked about Rory's drought during the pre-event press conference of the 2023 Memorial Tournament. He said he didn't know what to make of this slump, as the 34-year-old golfer was very confident in his game.

The 18-time major champion added that Rory was hardworking and a very good student of the game, and he was confident of him winning a few more majors soon.

"We all go through periods," Nicklaus said, as per the PGA Tour. "Rory may be going through a little bit of that period; he's going to wake up one morning and say, 'Hey, I better, you know, get on the stick here and start winning some more majors,' because he's certainly going to win some more."

He added:

"I can't believe that he's not. And sometimes we all have to focus, focus on what we have to do and so forth and to get there."

Nicklaus shared an anecdote from the 2011 Masters, when Rory McIlroy shot a final-round 80 and lost the tournament after being in a good position once. After the dismal fourth round, he asked Rory if he had learned anything from what he had done.

"I think so, but I'm not sure," said Rory, as per Nicklaus.

The four-time major winner went on to win the U.S. Open a couple of weeks after the Masters' debacle, and that too by an eight-stroke difference.

Following Rory's US Open victory, Nickalus sent him a note of appreciation. He wrote:

"It's one thing to learning of why you lose, but it's also important to learn why you won. You put the two, those two things together and if you understand 'em both firmly then you're going to win a lot of golf tournaments."

He added:

"So Rory was really good about that, that time in his life. And so you know, he'll, he's still going to win a lot of tournaments."

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How many majors has Rory McIlroy won?

Rory McIlroy with the 2014 PGA Championship trophy

Rory McIlroy has won four majors in his career. His first victory in a major championship came at the 2011 US Open, where he beat Jason Day by an eight-stroke difference. The following year, Rory won the PGA Championship, where he beat Justin Rose by an eight-shot margin.

2014 was the most successful year for McIlroy in terms of major victories, as he was able to triumph in two of the four. In July of that year, he beat Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia by a two-stroke margin to clinch his first Open Championship title. A month later, Rory won his second PGA Championship title, beating Phil Mickelson by a single stroke.

Since then, Rory hasn't been able to win any majors. In 2022, he was able to finish in the top 10 of all four majors for the first time in his career.