Shipnuck: More Majors Coming for Rory

Alan Shipnuck returns to the show days after Rory McIlroy completed the career grand slam at Augusta, and his take carries the weight of someone who watched the whole thing unfold in person.

Shipnuck had predicted it the Wednesday before the tournament, calling Rory a relaxed, house-money player walking the grounds at Augusta National. A week later, he was right. But the path to the green jacket was anything but easy. Rory saw a six-shot lead evaporate on Saturday, then got off to a nightmare start on Sunday. Three down with 12 holes to play in the final round.

The thing about Rory, Shipnuck argues, is that for all his physical gifts, his greatest asset is resilience. He can take a punch like nobody else in golf. Even without his A game, Rory accessed his genius for about two hours, built a lead, and held on despite bad shots on 17 and 18.

Winning a green jacket without his best stuff should terrify the rest of golf, Shipnuck says. Rory has turned into a wily veteran who can beat you in different ways, not just with the long ball. The know-how is there. The reps are there. The killer instinct when the jacket is on the line is now on the record.

Shipnuck frames the win as a monumental step forward. Thirteen months ago, you could have argued Rory was a slight underachiever despite everything he had accomplished. Now he is in the career grand slam club, one of only six players to ever do it. He is one of only four to win back-to-back Masters. And there are only three players who appear on both lists, Tiger, Jack, Rory.

That is the air he is breathing now.

Rich points out that Rory turns 37 next month, which is not exactly long in the tooth. Shipnuck agrees, and goes further. The expectations around Rory have been sky high since he was a kid, and it is clear now he is going to exceed them. A lot of his best golf is still in front of him. The hunger to add to his legacy and fulfill his destiny has not dimmed.

This was not a ceremonial completion of the grand slam. It was a statement that the second act is about to be louder than the first. Rory is still burning to win, and the Masters only confirmed what Shipnuck saw walking the grounds the Wednesday before. Relaxed, confident, dangerous.

The scary part for the rest of the field is simple. If Rory can win majors without his A game, what happens when he brings it.