Rory McIlroy admits how long he has left at top of golf with caddie's feelings clear

Rory McIlroy believes he can remain one of the world's top golfers for the next 10 years as he admitted how a remark from caddie Harry Diamond helped reignite his drive for the rest of his career. The 36-year-old clinched his long-awaited Masters triumph in memorable style, finally securing his coveted green jacket in April after overcoming Justin Rose in a dramatic play-off. McIlroy's triumph at the Masters marked a touching milestone and elevated him into an elite circle of golfers who have captured all four major championships.

Despite relishing his Augusta triumph, McIlroy found it challenging to refocus after achieving his ultimate ambition, evidenced by his tie for 47th position at the PGA Championship. However, McIlroy, who is poised to compete at the Irish Open this week, has revealed how a comment from Diamond offered fresh motivation that could last for the rest of his career.

"Harry said to me, pretty soon after I won Augusta, he said, 'It's great you've won the Grand Slam but I haven't yet,'" McIlroy recalled on . "So that's cool. It would be cool to be able to do that with Harry.

"One of my favourite things about winning the Masters was being able to do it with Harry. We met on the putting green at Holywood golf club when I was seven years old and we're striding up the last hole with the chance to win a green jacket.

"That's as good as it gets for me. So if he's on the journey for the rest of my career and we can pick off a few more, that would be amazing."

The Masters triumph represented McIlroy and Diamond's maiden major championship success as a partnership. McIlroy, who remains confident he can continue competing at golf's highest level for another eight to 10 years, secured all four of his previous major titles with JP Fitzgerald carrying his clubs. The pair collaborated for eight years before McIlroy made the switch to his childhood friend Diamond.

The partnership has delivered multiple PGA Tour wins and FedEx Cup victories, though Diamond has come under intense scrutiny at times, including after McIlroy's heartbreaking final-round meltdown at the 2024 US Open. Following his career Grand Slam completion at Augusta, an emotional McIlroy paid tribute to his bagman.

"We've had so many good times together," McIlroy said. "He's been like a big brother to me the whole way through my life.

"To be able to share this with him after all the close calls that we've had, all the crap that he's had to take from people that don't know anything about the game, yeah, this one is just as much his as it is mine. He's a massive part of what I do, and I couldn't think of anyone better to share it with than him."

A campaign that has delivered one of McIlroy's career-defining moments has not been without its challenges. While McIlroy believes he can maintain his position amongst the world's elite golfers for the next decade, he outlined his struggle for new objectives after Augusta.

"I think what I didn't plan for, what I didn't think about, was how I was going to feel afterwards," McIlroy confessed on Off The Ball's Golf Weekly podcast."In terms of sort of getting motivated again, to get going, and what am I going to do?

"Because for the last decade, my chase was to try to get that elusive Masters and win the Grand Slam. Now that I've done that, I think it's just taken me a little bit of time to recalibrate and think about, 'Ok, what are my goals for the rest of my career?' I'm still only 36. I feel like I've got another eight to 10 years at the very top level of the game left.

"So, I think at this point, it's just about resetting those goals and sort of giving myself more objectives to try to aim for."