Olympic Gold In Los Angeles, More Majors Or The Ryder Cup Captaincy... What's Next For Rory McIlroy?

The 2025 Ryder Cup will live long in the memory for a number of reasons, but one person who certainly won't forget it in a hurry is Rory McIlroy.

The five-time Major winner endured some pretty ugly Ryder Cup fan behaviour at Bethpage Black, but was able to demonstrate resilience and strong resolve to emerge victorious with Team Europe.

McIlroy addressed the fan abuse at the Ryder Cup by saying 'I don't think we should ever accept that in golf' - but the noise appeared to only fire the Northern Irishman up to a gallant performance on American soil.

Back in January , McIlroy revealed that he had three goals for the rest of his career - two of which he banked in a monumentally successful 2025 season.

Winning a Ryder Cup away from home and claiming a first Green Jacket to complete the Career Grand Slam were the first two legs of this ambitious trio, so now he surely has his sights set on grasping gold at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

That's still some way off, however, so it begs the question... what's next for Rory McIlroy?

What's Next For Rory McIlroy After Away Ryder Cup Win

By the end of play on Sunday in New York, it was clear for everyone to see that the week had taken its toll on McIlroy both physically and mentally.

After dealing with some of the worst behaviour we've seen from fans on a golf course, and playing in every single session across three days, you could forgive McIlroy for taking a well-deserved break from golf.

However, according to Rory McIlroy's schedule, there is little time to rest.

On October 16th, Rory McIlroy is on the road again for his first ever start in India, with the DP World Tour season-ending events quickly following.

McIlroy plans to round out 2025 with a first Australian Open appearance in over a decade, at the stunning Royal Melbourne, so he is really clocking up the air miles as we approach the festive period.

Back-to-back events in Dubai approach early in the new year, at which point the PGA Tour season will be sparking back into life, so I am a little concerned for Rory's 2026 prospects.

After winning the Masters, it felt as though Rory's performances went temporarily flat.

That was to be expected after achieving something as colossal as a Green Jacket and the Career Grand Slam - but how will he react now that he has ticked off a second of his three career goals?

It's something you often see in other sports around the world, when an elite performer or team achieves a lifetime ambition or career-defining accolade, because naturally there needs to be a reset or evaluation in terms of motivation and ambitions.

I'm not by any means suggesting that Rory won't be motivated to win the Indian Open, the Australian Open and to defend the DP World Tour Championship, but can he arrive with his best stuff after what has been an incredible but potentially draining season?

Naturally, I'd expect McIlroy to want to break Colin Montgomerie's record for the most Race To Dubai (order of merit) titles, for which he is currently two behind - but I am not sure that sits in the same bracket as winning gold in Los Angeles.

He also has the chance to become only the fourth player in history to defend their Masters crown, and he will surely want to add at least one more Claret Jug to the trophy cabinet after an 11-year dry spell in that particular Major.

Becoming World No.1 again looks incredibly unlikely, considering the dominance of Scottie Scheffler who pipped McIlroy to a singles point on Sunday.

Scheffler has 19 PGA Tour wins and four Majors since 2022, and is currently accumulating almost double the average Official World Golf Ranking points as McIlroy (his closest pursuer).

To me, the most obvious ambition to add to the current list would be to lead Team Europe as Ryder Cup captain - something that appears an inevitability when the time is right for McIlroy.

The 2027 Ryder Cup In Ireland will surely be too soon for Rory, although the narrative would be perfect after his recent experience in New York and the location of the tournament, but it's surely only a matter of time.

Like Luke Donald, I can see McIlroy captaining the side for a prolonged period that spans at least two Ryder Cups, which is something that I am sure all European golf fans would love to see.

What Do You Think Is Next For Rory McIlroy?

After a season that could arguably be his most significant ever, what do you think is next for Rory McIlroy?

Do you think we are more likely to see him taking on the captaincy of Team Europe, lifting the Claret Jug again or winning Olympic Gold first?

It could be none of the above, but I'd love to hear your thoughts. Drop me a comment in the box below and let's have a chat about the future of this golfing legend.