Tranlate this title Gary Player says Rory McIlroy has made some ‘very strange’ comments in spanish

Rory McIlroy is having a successful season, although many feel the world-class golfer could have achieved even more.

Over the last few years, the experienced golfer has also become known as someone who often shares controversial opinions which create a lot of reactions, especially among experienced figures in the sport. The latest person to react to McIlroy’s comments was golf legend Gary Player.

Gary Player says he was left shocked by some recent Rory McIlroy comments, with the South African legend questioning the Northern Irishman’s motivation and approach to practice.

McIlroy finally completed the career Grand Slam at the 2025 Masters and then successfully defended his Green Jacket in April this year. The 37-year-old now has six major championships and 30 PGA Tour titles, but he has also made it clear that his schedule will be more selective as his career continues.

Player, who won nine majors and is also a career Grand Slam winner, does not completely understand that approach. The 90-year-old believes McIlroy should be looking at another career Grand Slam rather than thinking about playing less golf.

Speaking to The Golf Supply, Player shared a direct message about the six-time major champion.

Player questions McIlroy’s motivation

“I hear Rory with the best swing in the world saying, ‘now I’ve won the Grand Slam, I don’t have the same desire to play a lot’. Man, he should be saying, ‘I want to win another Grand Slam’. I’m shocked,” Player said.

The South African then moved to McIlroy’s practice habits and was equally critical.

“And then he says, ‘I don’t believe in hitting a lot of balls’. Well, that’s ****. If you hit a lot of balls, you build up a determination and it makes you work harder, makes your muscles better. He comes out with very strange things.”

Player has always been known for his fitness and work ethic. He turned professional in 1953 and won more than 160 tournaments around the world, including three Masters titles, three Open Championships, two PGA Championships and one U.S. Open.

McIlroy’s actual comments were a little different from the way Player described them. After the third round of the Tour Championship in August, the Northern Irishman spoke about managing his schedule after almost two decades as a professional.

“I think once you start to lose your enthusiasm to go to the course, it’s time to take a break,” McIlroy said.

He also stressed that there have been tournaments in the past where he played because he felt he should be there, even when he did not really want to compete. The current world No. 2 said three weeks in a row is now close to his limit and that he does not plan to play four consecutive tournaments again.

The experienced golfer did not say that completing the career Grand Slam had removed his desire to win. In fact, after defending the Masters in April, McIlroy said he was not ready to stop adding to his major total.

McIlroy still has another Grand Slam target available

McIlroy’s 2026 Masters victory gave him his sixth major championship. He finished one shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler and became only the fourth player after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods to win back-to-back Masters titles.

“It took me 10 years to win my fifth major, and then my sixth one’s come pretty soon after it,” McIlroy said after the victory. “I’m not putting a number on it, but I certainly don’t want to stop here.”

There is also a clear target available if the Northern Irishman wants to follow Player’s suggestion. McIlroy already owns two Masters titles and two PGA Championships, but he has only one U.S. Open and one Open Championship.

Winning those two events again would give him a second career Grand Slam. Only Nicklaus and Woods have completed the set more than once, with both doing it three times.

The 2027 schedule could make that subject even more interesting. The U.S. Open will be played at Pebble Beach, while The Open is returning to St Andrews. McIlroy has a good history at St Andrews and finished third there in 2022 after sharing the lead going into the final round.

For now, the former world No. 1 is focused on the Irish Open at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg. McIlroy is defending the title he won at The K Club last year, when he defeated Joakim Lagergren in a playoff.

A third Irish Open victory would put him alongside Seve Ballesteros, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer as three-time winners of the event.

The 37-year-old is also still chasing another Race to Dubai title. He has already won the season-long DP World Tour race seven times and is trying to reach eight.

McIlroy’s recent schedule comments have started a lot of discussion, and Player has now added another opinion to that debate. However, the Northern Irishman still has several big targets ahead, with two major championships in 2027 offering a possible road toward something only Nicklaus and Woods have previously managed three times.