Fact or Fiction: Rory McIlroy Is Already the Best European Golfer Ever

The SI Golf team weighs Rory McIlroy's place in history as well as his plans to perhaps sit out PGA Tour signature events next year.

Rory McIlroy said his goal is to be remembered as the best European to ever play. / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Welcome back to SI Golf’s Fact or Fiction, where we imagine the gallery would be in danger for us in a pro-am too.

Once again, we’re here to debate a series of statements for writers and editors to declare as “Fact” or “Fiction” along with a brief explanation. Responses may also (occasionally) be “Neutral” since there's a lot of gray area in golf.

Do you agree or disagree? Let us know on the SI Golf X account.

Rory McIlroy is closing in on his third DP World Tour Race to Dubai title and sixth overall, and said he’s motivated to become “the most successful European of all time.” But his resume already merits that label.

John Pluym: FICTION. Seve was the greatest European player of all time. Plus, he played against some of the game’s greatest golfers. Bernhard Langer extended his record of winning a title every year on the PGA Tour Champions’ circuit to 18 years on Sunday. He’s also one of the top five in Euro history. And Nick Faldo has 41 professional wins, including six major championships: three Open Championships (1987, ’90, ’92) and three Masters (’89, ’90, ’96). And I’d rank all of them ahead of McIlroy.

Jeff Ritter: FICTION. Rory is squarely in my top five and you can make a case for No. 1, but I’ll slot him No. 4: Seve with 50 Euro Tour titles and five majors, Faldo (30 wins, six majors) and Langer (42 wins, two majors and still destroying the Champions Tour) would rank ahead of Rory today.

John Schwarb: FICTION. Nick Faldo’s six majors still rule but if Rory gets his green jacket to complete the career grand slam, he’s the man. Race to Dubai titles and FedEx Cups do not factor here.  

McIlroy also said “I’m not getting any younger” and that he’d play less on the PGA Tour in 2025 including perhaps skipping multiple signature events. As the Tour has taken on investors and is moving toward smaller fields, it should revisit the idea of making signature events mandatory for those who are eligible.

John Pluym: FACT. The players asked for bigger purses and the Tour increased the prize money at signature events. And, still, that’s not enough for McIlroy to play? You either want to be on the tour or you don’t. And at this point in his career, McIlroy can’t seem to make up his mind, including which way a five-foot putt breaks. 

Jeff Ritter: FICTION. This new smaller and more closed-off Tour could benefit from opening a few doors for players outside the inner circle. No need for the events to be mandatory for the group of top players—the fields will be plenty strong each week, even if a few top players duck out here and there. 

John Schwarb: FACT. What are we doing here? The Tour is going smaller and more exclusive and there’s still not buy-in from one of the world’s best for the key events? (There may be others but he’s the first to speak up.) The Tour tried to mandate signature event appearances once and it didn’t work (Rory was fined for missing the 2023 RBC Heritage), but in the current climate it shouldn’t need to be mandated—it should be a given. 

Padraig Harrington blasted the suggested changes coming to the PGA Tour including cutting back on Monday qualifiers, calling them “one of the most exciting things on the Tour.” He’s right about the Mondays.  

John Pluym: FICTION. There’s nothing exciting about a Monday qualifier. Are you kidding me? I think most golf fans would rather watch paint dry. Nice try, Padraig! 

Jeff Ritter: FICTION. I understand Harrington’s point that the Tour is becoming too closed off. But everyone knows the most exciting thing on Tour isn’t the Monday qualifier. And it isn’t the battle to make the weekend cut or a tight Sunday finish. The most exciting thing is—obviously—SI Golf’s weekly Fact or Fiction roundtable, which will continue to be a weekly tradition even in the face of all the changes in the golf world. 

John Schwarb: FICTION. “Most exciting” is a stretch. Sure, there’s interest and stories to be told (shout-out Ryan French, aka Monday Q Info) but the Tour itself has never fully leaned into those stories on a weekly basis and the track record of qualifiers in the tournaments isn’t great. Something has to give when cutting down fields and Monday qualifiers weren’t going to go unscathed.