(Reuters) -Rory McIlroy waited more than a decade to win his fifth major but putting coach Brad Faxon said his triumph at the Masters on Sunday will give the Northern Irishman a platform to kick on and win five more.
McIlroy beat England’s Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff at Augusta National to join Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Gary Player as the only players to complete the career Grand Slam in men’s golf.
“He has played professional golf for more than half his life now and there is nothing that can stop this guy,” Faxon told reporters. “Rory can double his number of majors — he can go on to win 10.”
McIlroy savoured major success early in his career, winning the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 and 2014 PGA Championship as well as the 2014 Open.
But he experienced gut-wrenching disappointment at the Masters as he sought to complete the Grand Slam.
Faxon said those lows had made him stronger.
“Something happened from the defeats to build the resilience he has,” he added. “It builds inside what you need to overcome. He is an example to everyone.
“Rory has carried a burden since 2014 to have this goal accomplished and every year, since the first major of the year, it gets harder.
“Rory is one of the most intelligent, kind people I have ever met in my life and he knows everything about the history of the game and what this means for the game.”
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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