Rory McIlroy is in action at the BMW PGA Championship this week and as usual, he’s one of the top draws when it comes to discussion points for golf pundits.
McIlroy is looking to finish the year off with some positivity after an up and down season in 2024 which has seen him miss out on both the US Open and Irish Open in agonising fashion.
As we know, McIlroy raced to four majors before the age of 24 and it’s one of the biggest shocks in golf that we’ve not yet seen McIlroy make it number five.
The big one, The Masters, continues to evade him and even more than six months away from the 2025 edition, you just know McIlroy will be the major talking point.
Still, at 35, there is plenty of time for him to add to his tally and despite the narrative of him buckling in big tournaments, former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has suggested that McIlroy is not doing all that bad.
Paul McGinley shares Jack Nicklaus stat that makes Rory McIlroy look equally as good
Despite the notion that McIlroy effectively ‘bottles’ the big occasion these days, European Tour legend McGinley has actually pointed out why the Northern Irishman is still one of the top players.
Speaking on Sky Sports earlier today, McGinley shared a stat about Jack Nicklaus when comparing him to McIlroy.
“I was just doing some background stuff and he’s on a 33% top five to win ratio, that’s comparable to any player in the history of the game including Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus had 55 top fives in major championships and only won 18. That’s one in three,” McGinley said.
“To put it into context of how difficult this game is. Sometimes you play great and sometimes somebody comes up and steals it off you. Sometimes you make mistakes and inopportune times.
“There is no doubt McIlroy is not the finished article and there is an element of doubt, especially in majors when he gets to the back nine, but I’m really convinced that he is going to do it and get over the line.
“I have said it so often. The way you get over the line is not just waking up in the morning and doing it. You do it from validation and winning a tournament like this week is another step in the right direction, should he go on and do that, in terms of building up his confidence again.
McIlroy will get his fifth major eventually
Ian Poulter touched on Rory’s lack of major wins in the last decade this week and as Poulter mentions, even if he doesn’t win, McIlroy is one of the biggest draws in golf right now.
Eventually, McIlroy will get his win and from there, you can imagine the shackles will be off and there’s a chance he suddenly adds even more.
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Yes, the calibre of player right now like Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele among others, means things will be hard for McIlroy.
But over time, and with the persistence and talent he has, McIlroy will win again.
If he doesn’t, then it will go down as one of golf’s great shames.
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