Masters 2026: Here’s where a second green jacket would vault Rory McIlroy on list of all-time greats

Q: How many major championships has Rory McIlroy won?

Rory McIlroy has won five major championships in his career.

Q: What is the significance of the career Grand Slam in golf?

The career Grand Slam is significant as it indicates a golfer has won each of the four major championships at least once, a feat achieved by only a select few.

Q: Who are the top four golfers often mentioned in the all-time greats list?

The top four golfers commonly mentioned are Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, and Bobby Jones.

Q: What would a second Masters victory mean for Rory McIlroy's ranking among golfers?

A second Masters victory could elevate Rory McIlroy into the top 10 of all-time greats, as it would enhance his credentials significantly.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — If Rory McIlroy wins this Masters, where will he rank among golf’s all-time greats? Specifically, will he break into the top 10 that unofficially serves as the sport’s pantheon?

When McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam by winning last year’s Masters, it gave him—at least on my admittedly, undeniably and absolutely subjective list—a powerful boost. I’d had him in the high teens before the victory and raised him to 12th afterward. Others may have felt that such a dramatic and popular victory was enough to get him top-10 status, if they hadn’t already counted him in.

It’s not a specious case. With the final round of the Masters still pending, McIlroy at age 36 has accumulated a distinguished body of work, with five major championships, 29 victories on the PGA Tour (including two Players Championships), 14 more on the DP World Tour and one Australian Open. He’s also been World No. 1 for 122 weeks over his career.

But it’s the career Grand Slam itself that most elevates him into all-time territory. The top four players on most lists—Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan and Bobby Jones—have all achieved the feat, with Jones given credit for completing the original calendar slam in 1930, consisting of the U.S. and British opens and amateurs.

Gary Player and Gene Sarazen are the other career Grand Slam winners and accordingly reside on a majority of top-10 lists. Why then, haven’t I included McIlroy with them in the top 10? Because the margins at the very top of golf greatness are tight enough that without a sixth major, I believe he falls just short of the credentials required.

Here’s the formidable mountain of greats and their accomplishments that I have in front of McIlroy:

1: Jack Nicklaus (18 majors, 73 PGA Tour victories, career Grand Slam)2: Tiger Woods (15 majors, 82 PGA Tour victories, career Grand Slam)3: Ben Hogan (9 majors, 64 PGA Tour victories, career Grand Slam)4: Bobby Jones (7 professional majors, 6 amateur majors, original calendar Grand Slam)5: Sam Snead (7 majors, 82 PGA Tour victories)6: Arnold Palmer (7 majors, 62 PGA Tour victories)7: Gary Player (9 majors, 24 PGA Tour victories, career Grand Slam)8: Tom Watson (8 majors, 39 PGA Tour victories)9: Walter Hagen (11 majors, 45 PGA Tour victories)10: Gene Sarazen (7 majors, 38 PGA Tour victories, career Grand Slam)

Masters 2025

Photo by Stephen Denton

To make my top 10, McIlroy at No. 12 has to jump over Sarazen and my No. 11, Byron Nelson, with five majors, 52 PGA tour victories, including 11 in a row and 18 total in 1945. Winning this Masters on Sunday for a sixth major would do it.

Before we go any farther, here’s the approximate criteria, in order of approximate priority, I’m using to compare McIlroy against Sarazen and Nelson. The seven points are very far from an exact science, but I’m going to employ them with my best judgment to make a call that I hope will align with my gut instinct.

1-Major victories 2-Peak dominance 3-Sustained excellence 4-Total official victories 5-Special achievements (Career Grand Slam, winning streaks, winning margins, extraordinary/memorable shots or skills) 6-Strength of competition (Favoring more modern eras because of increasing depth) 7-Fame/importance to game

Against Nelson, it felt extremely close. With a win on Sunday, McIlroy would have one more major. Due to Nelson retiring at age 34, McIlroy has put together more sustained excellence, although Byron would win peak dominance for his epic 1945 season. McIlroy has fewer total official victories (52 to 45), and fewer special achievements (McIlroy’s two eight-stroke victories in majors and his Grand Slam falling just short of Nelson’s incredible 11 in a row and 18 total wins in 1945, along with ball striking that inspired the USGA to name its mechanical test golfer Iron Byron). But Rory had to beat stronger competition and attained more fame. The final score 4-to-3 McIlroy feels right by the barest of margins.

Against Sarazen, McIlroy would have fewer majors 7-to-6, more peak dominance, more sustained excellence, more total official victories (45 counting 14 DP World Tour wins and an Australian Open versus Sarazen’s 39), fewer special achievements (with Sarazen’s invention of the sand wedge and his double eagle at the 1935 Masters carrying the day) more strength of competition, more fame. For a final score of score of 5-2 McIlroy that would also confirm my gut feeling.

So a Masters win would make McIlroy 10th on the my list and drop Sarazen to 11th and Nelson to 12th.

I’m well aware I haven’t even mentioned five tremendous players who all have multitudes who include them in their top 10s—Harry Vardon, Lee Trevino, Phil Mickelson, Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo. As much admiration and respect as I have for all of them, they fall just short. My altered list would also mean that, at least for me, McIlroy would become the greatest European player of all time if he emerges victorious on Sunday.

One thing is certain. Whatever happens, we’ve learned for the gifted McIlroy, even at 36, has many more majors ahead. And that for the moment, simply entering a list of golf’s all-time top 10 greats is, for him, too modest a goal.