Rory McIlroy has told Off The Ball that the idea of not winning another Major "doesn't keep [him] up at night."
Off The Ball's Nathan Murphy put a question to McIlroy about whether he has concerns over the passage of time since his last Major title in 2014, and he was in circumspect form.
"Not really. Look, if I didn't win another Major in my career... nothing is going to change in my life whether I win one or not. But obviously, I don't feel like I will have fulfilled my potential, but at the same time there are other things in my life that are more important than golf.
"I'd be disappointed, but again it's not going to change things. I don't panic and it doesn't keep me up at night. I just need to give myself chances. I was proud of myself just to get into the final group at the Masters this year.
"I didn't have a good Sunday, but I would have needed something pretty special to beat Patrick anyway. The US Open was the US Open. I have got two more chances this year to hopefully play myself into contention. That was my goal this year - it wasn't to win Majors, it was just to give myself a chance and to put myself into positions to see how I fare.
"I did that at Augusta and I felt like I learned a bit from it, and hopefully going into Carnoustie and Bellerive, I can put myself in similar positions."
Rory spoke of how his wider interests allow him to keep perspective on a career that has been feted since he was a little boy. Outside pursuits are very important to the Northern Irishman.
"I think I've always had other interests and had other things that are a big part of my life. But I think getting married, thinking about the future and what that entails. As you get older and as you evolve as a person, you change and your perspective changes a little bit. It's not just the golf nowadays, there's a lot more that goes into it.
"It's still my career and I want to make the most of it, and I still have a lot of time left to make my mark on golf. But at the same time, it doesn't keep me up at night thinking that if I never win another major it means that I can't live with myself."
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