McIlroy Cements Place As Top 10 Golfer In History

The 90th edition of the Masters proved to be historic.

Not only did Rory McIlroy become the fourth player in history to go back-to-back at Augusta—Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods are the only others (ever heard of them?)—but he also became just the 15th player in the game’s history to reach six major victories.

Hitting six majors is a differentiator for multiple reasons.

For one, no other European golfer in the game’s history has more majors. McIlroy is tied with Faldo for that mark.

For another, McIlroy has passed Brooks Koepka (5) for the most majors of this generation. It’s a clear statement that McIlroy is the best player of anyone in his age range and has the best career in the (mostly) post-Tiger Woods competitive era.

Scottie Scheffler will have something to say about that, but McIlroy is the leading man for now.

Lastly, this is a crucial victory for McIlroy’s legacy as, in my opinion, it cements him as a definitive top 10 male golfer in the game’s history.

The argument is over—Rory is a top 10 player of all time

After last year’s Masters, I wrote a story talking about the top 10 golfers in history.

This was right after McIlroy won his first Masters, and there was a case for him to be included in the top 10. However, I opted for Phil Mickelson in the 10th spot.

I think now it’s fairly clear that Mickelson—who also has six majors—should be bumped out of that spot.

It would be pretty tough to argue that McIlroy should be above the other nine guys, although this is a totally made-up debate on the Internet, so go ahead and argue however you want.

• Tiger Woods
• Jack Nicklaus
• Ben Hogan
• Bobby Jones
• Sam Snead
• Gary Player
• Arnold Palmer
• Walter Hagen
• Tom Watson

My reasoning for McIlroy ahead of Mickelson is straightforward: they both have the same number of majors but Rory has completed the career Grand Slam (something only six players have done). Mickelson didn’t accomplish that.

It’s really that simple. The rest of the comparison is close enough that McIlroy deserves the nod based on winning all four majors.

Mickelson does have 45 PGA Tour wins and is the oldest player to win a major. He has 29 top-5 finishes in majors, which is ridiculous.

McIlroy only has 30 Tour victories, though part of that win gap is made up in European Tour titles and the depth of competition difference. Rory has 20 top-5 finishes in majors, which is in the same neighborhood.

But then you look at the Ryder Cup, arguably the most important golf being played beyond the majors.

McIlroy’s record is 19-14-5. Mickelson’s is 18-22-7. That’s a sizable difference there.

For those reasons, I think McIlroy can be confirmed as being as the 10th-best male golfer to ever live.

Other possible nominees for the spot

As I mentioned previously, there are 15 golfers who have six majors or more, so there are other candidates for the top 10.

However, I don’t think any of them have a strong enough case to beat Rory.

Faldo never won the U.S. Open or PGA Championship.

Neither did Seve Ballesteros, an iconic European figure who holds the top spot for all-time European Tour victories.

Lee Trevino has six majors but never even came close to winning the Masters. In fairness, he often skipped the Masters during the prime of his career due to a conflict with Augusta National co-founder Clifford Roberts.

You could make the case for Gene Sarazen, a seven-time major winner who did complete the career Grand Slam. The comparison of eras is very tricky and ultimately futile, though what fun would it be to not compare them at all?

Ultimately, I’m pretty satisfied putting McIlroy in this spot. And he still has some time left in his career to bolster his resume. At just shy of 37 years old, there is a great chance he reaches eight or nine majors.

What do you think? Is McIlroy a top 10 player in history?

Let me know below in the comments.