Rory McIlroy has insisted he did not suffer from complacency after winning the Masters last year as he looks to build on his historic triumph at this week's PGA Championship.
The golf star heads to Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania seeking a seventh major title and determined to avoid the emotional lull that followed his career Grand Slam success last year.
McIlroy arrives in buoyant mood after successfully defending his Masters crown in April, becoming only the fourth player in history to win back-to-back Green Jackets.
The victory moved the 37-year-old onto six major championships and further strengthened his reputation as one of the greatest golfers of his generation.
But the Northern Irishman has admitted that, after finally completing the career Grand Slam in 2025, he briefly struggled to find his next target.
Speaking ahead of the second major of the season, McIlroy rejected any suggestion that his dip in form was caused by a lack of hunger.
"It wasn't complacency," he said.
"There's this thing that you've wanted to do your whole life and then you do it. And then it's like, 'OK, well, what's next?'"
Rory McIlroy has insisted he did not suffer from complacency after winning the Masters last year as he looks to build on his historic triumph at this week's PGA Championship
|GETTY
McIlroy explained that achieving the ultimate goal of his career left him needing time to reset mentally.
"I'd achieved the dream, I'd achieved everything I'd ever wanted to achieve and it felt like that was the destination," he said.
"Yet it wasn't. It was just a stop on my journey."
The world No 2 believes he has now rediscovered his focus and remains highly motivated to add to his already glittering CV.
Rory McIlroy won the Masters for a second time last month
| REUTERSLATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Five things to know about Rory McIlroy | GETTY"There are still plenty of things to achieve, still so many goals," he remarked.
"So yeah, I had 10 days of celebration after this win, but I chose not to do the New York talk shows and all that.
"I didn't want to waste a few months like last year. I locked back in."
That renewed determination will concern the rest of the field.
McIlroy has already shown strong form this season and arrives at Aronimink convinced the course suits his game.
"It fits my game pretty well," he said. "It seems like there's going to be a lot of drivers, a lot of wedges, especially on the front nine."
McIlroy visited the course two weeks ago and believes early scoring opportunities could prove decisive, although he warned that the large, undulating greens will demand precision.
"Big, slopey greens - they can tuck the pins away - so you've got to have your wits about you," he added.
Rory McIlroy is bidding to win the PGA Championship for a third time
| GETTY"I can't wait to get up there and have another go at a major championship."
The signs, certainly, are encouraging.
McIlroy finished tied 19th at last week's Truist Championship after recovering from a difficult third round, while a Saturday evening range session helped correct what he described as his "big miss left."
His short game was particularly impressive during his successful Masters defence, helping him prevail despite unusually erratic driving.
Xander Schauffele highlighted just how ominous that is for McIlroy's rivals.
"His best club was his worst club, and he still won the tournament," Schauffele said. "That's a little scary if you're competing against him."
Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley also believes McIlroy is far from finished.
"He's now kicked on from that," McGinley said. "That's really important, because many people thought that was going to be his plateau."