Those in and around the Rory McIlroy camp talk of the “third act” of his career, and as the Northern Irishman sets out on his 18th season as a professional it is now possible to envisage the story one day coming of age.

The first act saw the prodigy becoming the protagonist as he transformed all of that potential and those whispers into historic substance. McIlroy became the youngest European to win four majors and along with Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, one of three players in the modern era to achieve the quartet before he turned 25. “Rory has the opportunity to win 15 or 20 majors,” Nicklaus declared.

In the second act, the character developed and he thrilled his audience with the vulnerability he originally displayed when breaking down in tears following an 80 in the final round of the Masters with a Green Jacket in his grasp. He had overcome this adversity before and therefore possessed the resilience to do so again. Nothing should subsequently faze him.

Except the middle point, as it so often does, was to feature the former boy wonder gaining a higher awareness of who he was and what he was capable of and so the mentality switched. Glory became anticipated, assumed even, and despite the beauty remaining in that wondrous rhythm and motion, the ugly weaknesses were magnified.

The debate suddenly raged as to whether the issue was between McIlroy’s ears or between his shoulder blades, particularly when it came to apparently simple wedges skewed into the green. It was complicated as the silverware continued to rack up, as did the riches and garlands, but the major haul ground to an ever more concerning halt. What had been merely a matter of time became a matter of if. Expectation ate itself.

A decade – The Lost Decade – came and went with McIlroy stuck on four, despite four runners-up finishes and seven other top-fives. In those 10 years it was never dull, as he became the fearless voice against a Saudi-funded rival Tour that led to irrevocable change in his profession. Here was a personality with a predilection for drama and sudden off-course turmoil that led to fears of a chaotic psyche unsuited for such a rational and intense discipline.

One of the final scenes in the pandemonium consisted of McIlroy holding a two-shot lead with four to play at the US Open and they bogeying three of them to hand the major to Bryson DeChambeau, a LIV celebrant and another candidate for most interesting golfer on the planet. McIlroy left Pinehurst in a hurry and rage that day, failing to congratulate the victor. Regardless of the year ending with more garlands outside of the tournaments that truly count, the story is clearly desperate for a resolution. His aestas horribilis demanded a drastic redraw.

And so arrives 2025, with McIlroy telling us that he has perhaps another decade in the elite, but recognising that “the clock is ticking” and “the window is slowly closing”. Inevitably, we have quickly forged the sense of a new and perhaps defining chapter that will carry the tale to the climax and then its denouement, whether that be acclaimed sporting redemption or the enlightening realisation that enough is sometimes enough.

Which will it be? While McIlroy seems determined “to make sure I do everything I can to have the best career I possibly can”, this follower of stoicism also appears ready not only to accept his destiny but revel in it. Amor fati.

‘I need to appreciate what I’ve done in my career and in my life and enjoy my success’

He is nearing the point where he will have spent more time in the paid ranks than as an amateur and now that his marriage is apparently fixed – he filed for divorce in May and withdrew it in June – this father-of-one has redirected the emphasis to “enjoyment”. A startling comment on his way to a missed cut at the 2024 Open put this rewriting of priorities into perspective.

“I need to take a step back and appreciate what I’ve done in my career and in my life and enjoy my success,” McIlroy said. “I don’t really enjoy my success – and I haven’t, I would say, for the last five years. I haven’t been on a vacation in probably four or five years. So I think just stepping back and enjoying myself a little bit more away from my game is the thing. Have some fun.”

With his family, McIlroy visited New Zealand in December and on his way to Dubai for this week’s Desert Classic for his seasonal bow, he accompanied friends to watch Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion – not in a hospitality box but on the “Yellow Wall”, the largest standing terrace in European football. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” McIlroy said. “Just sort of have experiences that I haven’t had before. It’s about balance. It doesn’t have to be about golf all the time.”

McIlroy has a hinterland. He is immersed in business and involved in start-ups – TGL (Tomorrow’s Golf League), the indoor simulation league he part-owns with Woods, is just one of his investments – and with the hostilities thawing between LIV and the Tours, no longer does he have to act as shop steward. He will be seen less on the floor. This year, McIlroy is slashing back his schedule and competing where he wishes.

“Hey, I’m 35 and have been out here for half my lifetime, so I’m just going to go to the places that I enjoy and where I play well,” McIlroy told Telegraph Sport recently. “Look, I’ve done the hard slog, I’ve done that sort of 25 to 30 events a year. And I’m not getting any younger.”

In another diversion, McIlroy has vowed to keep up his appearances on the DP World Tour and instead trim down his PGA Tour calendar. He and his American wife, Erica, are having a house built in Wentworth, Surrey and intend to move there permanently by the time daughter Poppy, now four, reaches high-school age. There is a life plan and a direction that perhaps did not exist previously.

However, the ambitions remain and, apart from the majors, the Ryder Cup is chief among these. “One of my career goals going forward is to try to win another away Ryder Cup,” he said, thinking towards New York in September. “I’ve experienced it once, and it was absolutely amazing. And I would love to experience it again. But it’s getting harder and harder to do.”

Nothing gets easier in terms of legacy. April reminds him of that on an annual basis. The Masters is plainly his Kryptonite. His history with Augusta and his desperation to become the sixth male player ever to complete the career grand slam can be viewed as blighting his overarching aspirations. Failure between the cathedral pines releases his dementors and then he must attempt some hasty exorcism for the USPGA four weeks later, the US Open three weeks after that, and then the Open the following month.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” and it’s over for another eight months, with barely the moments to reflect, never mind to regroup.

McIlroy requires peace in himself and a competitive calm to take on this challenge. Those of us who admire him and believe his talents and feats as underrated and class him as a UK sporting superstar with the pre-fixed stature of Lewis Hamilton and Sir Andy Murray are busily finding positives from his apparent shift in attitude and are increasingly optimistic this new-found serenity could be the difference.

Yet we have been down this fairway before and we will only receive confirmation of any kind when he is back on the stretch of a major with the comeback in his grip. McIlroy’s many detractors – and there are a ridiculous number of these considering his achievements and his candour – will roll their eyes and quip that they have read this particular script over and over. Yet it can have a rousing conclusion. The most memorable third acts invariably do.