Rory McIlroy has no doubts. He wants to be the most successful European golfer in history and he expressed this today, two days before the start of the US Open 2024: “I still think that being the most successful European golfer is within my reach”. No beating around the bush. The fire has not been extinguished, the hunger for victory remains intact.
To be considered the best continental golfer, McIlroy is very clear about who he has to surpass: “Obviously, I have to beat Seve and Nick Faldo in terms of Major victories”.
Listening to Rory today, we wondered… what is the real fight to be the best European in history like? Is Rory McIlroy’s claim to the throne legitimate?
Next, we present some numbers that try to shed light on the debate, we leave the conclusions to you.
First of all, and although it may sound obvious, it is worth remembering that the Northern Irishman presumably still has quite a few years of career ahead of him, to be precise Rory said today that he expects to have about ten more years at the highest level.
When analysing this particular Race between Rory, Seve and Faldo, we have taken into account different benchmarks: victories in Majors of course, but we also break down the victories achieved on the European circuit, on the North American circuit, in world championships and tournaments co-sanctioned between both circuits. We also review how many times they have finished at the top each year, both in the US and in the old continent, and of course, the role played in the Ryder Cup. We have left out of this analysis what was achieved on lesser circuits. The great battle must be fought among the most important tournaments.
In the Majors section, the accounts are clear, the Northern Irishman has four victories in 62 appearances compared to Seve’s five in 87 contests and the six that Nick Faldo achieved in exactly 100 Majors played. This is the figure that distinguishes legends from the best and Rory knows he has to add to it.
In regular tournaments on the North American circuit, the Northern Irishman stands out with 18 victories compared to the Spaniard’s 4 and the Englishman’s 3. This is where McIlroy has built his career and where he has won more than 50% of his titles.
On the other hand, if we talk about Europe, this is where Seve makes a big impact with 45 regular victories, Nick Faldo follows him with 24 and Rory is third in the table with ‘only’ nine victories on this circuit.
In terms of World Championships, McIlroy has three titles and to this is added in Rory’s record, a hybrid tournament between both circuits (the Genesis Scottish Open less than a year ago).
Looking at the raw numbers, it is clear that Seve, cementing his figures with the 45 victories in Europe, adds up to a whopping 54 titles compared to the 35 of the current world number 2 and Faldo’s 33. The debate about which victories are more important, whether those achieved at that time in Europe or the current ones in North America is not something that is intended to be covered in these lines. What is clear is that Rory has a difficult, but by no means impossible task to catch up with the man from Pedreña. He is already looking at Faldo in the rear-view mirror at this point.
Another element that can shed light, or more doubts, is to analyse the number of times each of the three finished at the top of the Race in either Europe or the US. In this section, Rory has three years winning the Fedex Cup and neither of the other two achieved it. In Europe, Seve comes out on top again with six seasons finishing at the top compared to Rory’s four and the two that Faldo accumulated. If both circuits are added together, McIlroy takes the crown with seven in total.
One section where we find Faldo at the top again is in the Ryder Cup. With eleven participations, 46 matches and 25 points, he has no rival, for now, on this front. Rory aspires to surpass him, but he still has 7 appearances in 33 matches and 18 points added. There is a lot to cut, but it is true that Rory’s trajectory in this competition has nothing to envy the best Europeans in history. He is still far away, but it would not be surprising if he caught up with Faldo in points scored and did so in a couple or three Ryders, that is, in just three or five years. In this section, Seve himself is still ahead of the boy from Hollywood. The man from Pedreña played 37 matches in 8 Ryder Cups and scored a whopping 22.5 points.
The conclusion is that there are many elements on the table, but in none of them is Rory very far from Faldo or Seve. Perhaps in the record of total victories is where he is furthest from Seve, but for Rory, adding Majors seems to be the most necessary pending task.
This week the current world number 3 has a new opportunity to equal Seve in Grand Slams. Rory feels it is a good opportunity: “It’s true that the fifth Major is resisting me, but I have more confidence than ever that I’m there, I think I’m closer than I’ve ever been”. To do this, he will have to be very orderly and patient: “Five years ago, after three consecutive very bad editions on my part, I changed my mentality. Before, the US Open seemed somewhat boring to me. I’ve learned that you don’t win here by being aggressive but from order and patience. In recent years I’ve managed to have this attitude and I’ve had good results”.
Speaking of players with enormous numbers, Rory also had words of praise today for the “relentless” Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy was asked to give his opinion on the streak the Number One is on and he found one that perfectly defines the Texan: “He’s relentless. A lot has happened in his life, he’s just had a child, he’s had difficulties with the putter that he’s been able to solve, it’s not that he hasn’t had difficulties, it’s that he’s relentless”. There have been many praises for the Texan, but with this one, Rory has hit the bullseye, and with a laugh he added: “only an hour in jail has been able to keep him from victory. The reality is that every time he shows up, he’s the man to beat, and deservedly so. I think he’s played 14 times this year or 13 times this year, only once outside the top 10. It seems like he’s always in the fight for the tournament”.
