Brandel Chamblee picks who he thinks is the better golfer out of Rory McIlroy and prime Phil Mickelson

Add as preferred source on Google

Rory McIlroy has secured his spot in golfing immortality over the weekend, with the Northern Irishman winning The Masters and becoming only the sixth player to complete the career grand slam.

It was no surprise to see Rory McIlroy overcome with emotion on Sunday at The Masters. After holing the winning putt, he collapsed to the ground and broke down in tears. It was a moment many would not have allowed themselves to dream about.

Unsurprisingly, it has prompted a debate regarding where McIlroy now sits amongst golf’s all-time greats. While players such as Arnold Palmer, Sir Nick Faldo and Lee Trevino won more majors, none completed the career grand slam.

In fact, McIlroy has joined Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen in completing the career grand slam. Of course, Bobby Jones won all four of the majors available to him in 1930.

Brandel Chamblee suggests where Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson rank amongst golf’s all-time greats

While winning more majors is clearly an amazing achievement, the fact that McIlroy has had the game to win The Masters, the US Open, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship at various stages of his career is remarkable.

He now has five majors, with only Woods and Phil Mickelson ahead of him when it comes to active players. Mickelson, of course, is a US Open victory away from completing the career grand slam himself.

But interestingly, speaking on The Bret Boone Podcast, Brandel Chamblee suggested that he would still put Mickelson ahead of McIlroy in the list of the sport’s all-time greats.

“Right now, top 20. I know he’s one of six to complete the career grand slam and that comes with a significance for sure. But in the pantheon of accomplishment, it’s tough to get in that top 10,” he said.

“That top 10 is so accomplished. You’re talking about 50 wins and seven majors. And Rory’s 35, he’s got 29 wins and five majors. There are things that certainly add and elevate his stature, four times he’s won the Vardon Trophy. Mind you, Jack would have won the Vardon Trophy nine times if he ever played enough rounds to qualify. But Jack would have won it nine times. Tiger won it nine times. I think there’s only one other person who would have won it as many times. So four times he’s won the Vardon Trophy.

“And he’s won globally. He’s very popular. But I would put Phil in the top 15 of all-time. Phil’s got six majors and 45 wins. But I wouldn’t put Phil in the top 10 of all-time. Some do and I’m like, well you’re not properly digging in and understanding the history of the game if you’re putting Phil in the top 10 of all-time.

“He’s somewhere 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and Rory’s somewhere 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th in my view.”

How Rory McIlroy compares with Phil Mickelson at the same age

It is slightly unfair on McIlroy because he was not even two years of age when Mickelson won on the PGA Tour for the first time. But Lefty’s longevity simply does not get spoken about anywhere near enough.

There were more than 30 years between Mickelson’s first win on the PGA Tour and his most recent. He has also finished in the top two at 18 majors during his career, including the 2021 PGA Championship when he became the oldest major champion in the game’s history.

McIlroy definitely has enough time to overtake Mickelson, judging by Chamblee’s comments. If he can win a few more majors and get closer to that half-century of PGA Tour wins, then perhaps the answer will be different in the years to come.

Now that McIlroy has lifted the burden of trying to win the career grand slam and end an 11-year drought to secure a fifth major, many will be expecting that gap to start closing quickly.