Expectations for Rory McIlroy have risen significantly since he won The Masters last weekend.
The 25-year-old ended his 11-year major championship drought at Augusta National, and now, people think the floodgates have opened.
With the career Grand Slam in the bank, many expect him to play freely going forward, enabling him to accumulate much more success.
Three-time European Tour winner Nick Dougherty has shared his thoughts on the direction of McIlroy’s career, including whether he can surpass Tiger Woods.
Nick Dougherty says whether Rory McIlroy can catch Tiger Woods
The consensus is that McIlroy will not have to wait another decade to win his next major. Some even think he’ll add to his tally at the PGA Championship next month.
What is up for debate is how many more majors the Northern Irishman will stack up before he retires.
Jack Nicklaus’ record (18) seems out of reach, while there have been murmurs that he could go on a tear and challenge Woods’ 15.
While Dougherty does believe McIlroy can win several more, he admitted that catching Woods is probably too much to ask, despite his ability and potential new mindset.
However, he did claim that the Masters champion is now the greatest European golfer of all time, ahead of Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros.
“Yes. I’m taking a bit of the lead from Faldo – who has more majors. Nick looked at me like, ‘Why are you even asking me? Of course, he’s gone past me. This is unparalleled; there’s five guys, and look who they are.’ Jack and Tiger being in that group is especially important.
Yes, I think it does separate them. But, knowing Rory, he will want to justify that positioning by adding more. So, one day, it won’t just be the fact he did the slam they didn’t; he’ll have more majors. He has that potential now, the gates are open.
“As much as I don’t see him getting to Tiger, I do see him adding what he’s already made again in the years he’s got left because I think some of his best golfing days are still in front of him.”
Nick Dougherty compares Rory McIlroy to Seve Ballesteros
Dougherty made an interesting comparison between McIlroy and Ballesteros. The pair are obviously from different generations, but there are some similarities.
“I think if you ask a kid that in the future, they’re going to say Rory McIlroy [is better],” he explained. “To us, Nick and Seve were the guys, but that was then, and for kids growing up, it’s going to be Rory.
“And, arguably, because of the character, there are some parallels there with how he went about his game. The character, flamboyance and aura of Seve are hard to match. But, come the end of Rory’s career, who’s to say that we won’t be there? It’s a different world we live in these days. He stands out in every sense.”
The Sky Sports pundit added that they both share the “beautiful” quality of showing their emotions.
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