Rory McIlroy 'felt he let everyone down' as ex-Ryder Cup captain spills the beans

Paul McGinley has told to target more major titles this year and address his "unfinished business" at . Last month, the 35-year-old finally completed the career Grand Slam he craved at the , to seal his maiden jacket.

The emotional scenes that followed depicted a man who had fulfilled his career destiny. However, now the dust has settled from his euphoria at Augusta, McIlroy is being touted to add to his major haul this year. The US Open is at Quail Hollow, a venue where he has won four times, and The Open will be a 'home' tournament for him at Royal Portrush.

McIlroy also has a score to settle from last time the tournament came to the course in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. In 2019, when Shane Lowry was the eventual winner, the world No.2 began the tournament with a quadruple bogey en route to a disastrous first-round score of 79.

He did everything to try and replicate the damage the following day, but a round of 65 still left him two over par overall, missing the cut by a stroke. His 2015 Ryder Cup captain has now lifted the lid on how McIlroy felt following the experience.

"He's pretty good when he's got unfinished business, which Portrush certainly is," he told . "He felt he let everybody down the last time, when Shane won around there in 2019, so he'll be coming out with something to prove there."

McGinley, who skippered Team Europe to victory at Gleneagles in 2014, believes McIlroy will benefit from finally sealing Grand Slam glory, adding: "He'll have a little bit less weight on the shoulders and I think he'll enjoy it a bit more this time."

He also challenged the star to now surpass Nick Faldo's European record of six major titles. His next chance will come at Quail on June 12, when he tees off looking for a second US Open title.

"He's going to have to play really well, but he does have two good chances this year. He's a more complete player than he's ever been before. He's more equipped to win majors than he's ever been before. And if the ambition stays strong, there's no reason why he can't surpass Nick."