Rory McIlroy Makes Life-Changing Decision After Winning Masters
Rory McIlroy is having a spring to remember. The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland finally captured his first Masters title, completing the career grand slam. He now turns his attention to the PGA Championship, a tournament he's already won twice.
McIlroy's last PGA Championship win came in 2014, capping off a dominant three-year stretch that saw him claim PGA Tour Player of the Year honors from 2012 to 2014.
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While McIlroy remains focused on adding more victories to his resume, he's also making a major personal move. Reports indicate he is preparing to relocate to London, where his new family home is nearly complete.
Though he'll maintain his residence in Florida, London will become his primary home base in the coming years.
"#RORY's NEW HOME — The McIlroy's new family home in London is nearly complete and will reportedly be ready for move-in following The U.S. Open. "
"According to @TelegraphSport, McIlroy will keep his home in Florida but permanently move across the pond in a few years time. @TrackingRory"
McIlroy has experienced some ups and downs in his personal life as well. He and his wife Erica Stoll, who share a daughter born in 2020, faced a public challenge in May 2024 when McIlroy filed for divorce. Just a month later, the filing was withdrawn.
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'We have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning,' McIlroy stated in June.
PGA golfers Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler© Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
On the course, McIlroy has been one of the most consistent players of his generation. Since joining the PGA Tour, he has racked up 29 wins. He's also tallied 19 victories on the European Tour, along with single wins on both the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia.
Following his win at the Masters, McIlroy teed it up at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He is currently competing in the Truist Championship in Philadelphia.
Up next is the PGA Championship, which begins May 15 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. It will mark the 107th edition of the tournament.
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At Oakmont, the first tee shot is more of a stress test—no warm-up swings, no bailouts, and no faking it. It's a major reason players say Oakmont gets in your head before your round even starts. Who might win the 2025 U.S. Open? Golfweek: Predict three players who will be in contention for the lead at the U.S. Open at the start of the fourth round? ChatGPT: Great question—and one that requires blending data, history, course fit and recent form. Predicting who will actually be leading after 54 holes is always a gamble, but three players stand out as especially likely to be in the hunt at Oakmont on Saturday night of the 2025 U.S. Open. Here are three names I'd put real stock in: Scottie Scheffler Why he'll be there: No one in men's professional golf has been more consistent than Scheffler over the last 18 months. He's leading the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green by a wide margin again in 2025, and Oakmont is a ballstriker's crucible. He drives it long and straight, controls spin beautifully, and has shown major resilience even when his putter isn't firing. Oakmont fit: Scheffler's natural shot shape—a tight fade with the driver—matches up well with Oakmont's demanding tee shots. His elite iron play will give him chances on holes where most players are scrambling for bogey. Plus, his recent putting switch (to the TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck) has stabilized what was once a glaring weakness. Xander Schauffele Why he'll be there: Xander has been the most consistent U.S. Open performer of the past decade, with seven straight top-15 finishes since 2017. He finally broke through with a major win at the 2024 PGA Championship, and there's no reason to think he won't carry that confidence into Oakmont. Oakmont fit: He's cool under pressure and rarely beats himself. That kind of temperament plays at Oakmont, where the course demands total discipline. He's also top 10 in proximity from 175–225 yards in 2025—exactly the kind of approach range you face all week there. Tommy Fleetwood Why he'll be there: Fleetwood's name might surprise some, but he's put together a quietly excellent season and ranks among the best in strokes gained around the green and scrambling—a huge asset at Oakmont. His U.S. Open record is strong (T-2 in 2018, T-4 in 2017), and he thrives in tough, windy, firm conditions. Oakmont fit: Fleetwood is a grinder. He's not flashy off the tee, but he puts the ball in play and thrives when par is a good score. His creativity and feel on and around the greens could give him a real edge over players who are used to softer setups. Golfweek: Who is a player no one will be talking about who you think could finish in the top 10 at Oakmont? ChatGPT: Sahith Theegala He's not under-the-radar to golf fans anymore, but in a major field packed with big names and major winners, Theegala still qualifies as a sleeper—especially at a venue like Oakmont, where the course itself is the star, and emotional control is as critical as ball control. 1. He's a creative shotmaker with a great short game. Oakmont requires creativity and feel—two of Theegala's strengths. He plays with a natural flow and doesn't overly rely on mechanics, which helps him on uneven lies, thick rough, and the types of awkward recovery shots that Oakmont dishes out routinely. 2. Top-tier putting and touch. He's ranked among the top 30 on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting in 2025 and has shown the ability to drain mid-range putts under pressure. Oakmont's greens will be a nightmare for players who rely too much on analytics or struggle with speed control. Theegala, on the other hand, has the kind of natural putting stroke that holds up well on fast, sloped greens. 3. Major confidence curve. He's trending in the right direction. Theegala notched a T-6 at the 2024 British Open Championship, a T-12 at Augusta in 2025, and a strong run at the Players earlier this year. The experience is adding up, and he's shown he can handle big stages without losing his rhythm or confidence. 4. Comfortable in chaos. Some players unravel when they miss fairways or when the course gets firm and fiery. Theegala doesn't. He's a scrambler by nature, and Oakmont rewards guys who stay patient, aren't rattled by bogeys, and can grind out 72 tough holes. Who might miss the cut at the 2025 U.S. Open? Golfweek: Give me a big-name players who you think is most likely to miss the cut. ChatGPT: If you're looking for a bold prediction—and one that could stir up some clubhouse conversation—I'd say the big-name player most likely to miss the cut at the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont is Bryson DeChambeau. That might seem controversial on the surface, especially considering how well he played in the 2024 majors and how much he's embraced U.S. Open setups in the past. But Oakmont is not Winged Foot or Pinehurst, and the setup in 2025 may be his undoing. Here's why Bryson is at risk: 1. Oakmont neutralizes power without precision. Bryson's strategy in 2020—bomb it as far as possible and gouge it onto the green—worked at Winged Foot because the fairways were narrow but the rough was uniform and not overly penal in some areas. At Oakmont, that same approach is far riskier. Oakmont's fairways are extremely narrow, the rough is thicker and clumpier, and the greens are firmer and faster. Miss a fairway here, and you're often looking at a layup, not a wedge from the rough. It's a course that rewards accuracy and punishes any loss of control—off the tee, into the greens, and especially around them. 2. Short game and putting concerns. Bryson has made strides with his putter, but Oakmont's greens are an entirely different animal. They're famously the fastest in major championship golf, and Bryson's tendency to struggle with speed control and lag putting under pressure could become a major liability. If you're not extremely precise with your spin and trajectory into these greens, three-putts (or worse) pile up fast. 3. Course architecture doesn't favor his style. There are no real 'gettable' par 5s at Oakmont (No. 12 being the exception, and even that's relative), and no holes where a high-risk/high-reward strategy offers a clear payoff. In fact, trying to overpower Oakmont can backfire quickly—ask players like Phil Mickelson or John Daly, both of whom struggled mightily here in past Opens when they tried to play aggressively. In 2016, when Bryson was still an amateur, he did make the cut at Oakmont, finishing T-15—but he was playing a far more controlled, conservative game back then. In recent U.S. Opens, he's had mixed results: wins at Winged Foot and Pinehurst, missed cut at Torrey Pines. Bottom line from ChatGPT ahead of the 2025 U.S. Open If Bryson comes in swinging driver with reckless abandon, Oakmont could chew him up. And if his iron play and touch around the greens aren't sharp, he could be heading home Friday night. He's got the talent, but this venue asks the wrong questions of his current game.
