The 90th edition of the Masters turned out to be historic.
Not only did Rory McIlroy become the fourth player in history to return to Augusta—Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods are the only others (ever heard of them?)—but he also became the 15th player in the history of the game to achieve six major victories.
Hitting six majors is a differentiator for multiple reasons.
For one, no other European golfer in the history of the game has more majors. McIlroy is tied with Faldo for that point.
For another, McIlroy has passed Brooks Koepka (5) for most majors this generation. It’s a clear statement that McIlroy is the best player of anyone in his age bracket and has the best career in the competitive era (mostly) behind Tiger Woods.
Scottie Scheffler will have something to say about that, but McIlroy is the main man at the moment.
Ultimately, this is a crucial win for McIlroy’s legacy, as it cements him as a definitive golfer in the top 10 men’s history of the game, in my opinion.
Argument over – Rory is one of the top 10 players of all time
After last year’s master’s, I wrote a story talking about the top 10 players in history.
This was right after McIlroy won his first Masters and there was a chance he would be in the top 10. However, I picked Phil Mickelson at 10th.
I think it’s pretty clear now that Mickelson — who also has six majors — needs to get out of that spot.
It would be very hard to argue that McIlroy should be above the other nine guys, although this is a completely made-up debate on the internet, so go ahead and argue all 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 major, but Rory has completed a career Grand Slam (something only six players have done). Mickelson didn’t make it.
It really is that simple. The rest of the comparison is close enough that McIlroy deserves the nod based on winning all four majors.
Mickelson has 45 PGA Tour victories and is the oldest player to win a major. He has 29 top-5 finishes in majors, which is ridiculous.
McIlroy has just 30 wins on Tour, although part of that winning margin is made up of European Tour titles and the depth of the competition margin. Rory has 20 top-5 finishes in majors, which is in the same neighborhood.
But then you look at the Ryder Cup, perhaps the most important golf played outside of the championships.
McIlroy’s record is 19-14-5. Mickelson’s is 18-22-7. That’s a significant difference there.
For these reasons, I think McIlroy can be confirmed as the 10th greatest male player who ever lived.
Other possible nominees for the country
As I mentioned before, there are 15 golfers who have six or more majors, 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 US Open or the PGA Championship.
Neither does Seve Ballesteros, a European icon who holds the top spot for all-time wins on the European Tour.
Lee Trevino has six championships but never came close to winning the Masters. In fairness, he often missed the Masters during the height of his career due to a conflict with Augusta National co-founder Clifford Roberts.
You can make the case for Gene Sarazen, a seven-time major winner who ended his Grand Slam career. Comparing the eras is too complicated and ultimately pointless, although what fun would it be not to compare them at all?
At the end of the day, I’m quite pleased to put McIlroy in this spot. And he still has some time in his career to bolster his resume. At just 37 years old, there’s a good chance he’ll land eight or nine majors.
What do you think? Is McIlroy one of the top 10 players in history?
Let me know below in the comments.
