Not many are better placed to determine the best European golfer of all time. So where does Colin Montomgerie place Rory McIlroy in his top three? And, just for fun, where does he rank himself? Alex Perry chatted to the legendary Scot…
Rory McIlroy doesn’t have much left to achieve in the world of golf – but there are two particular targets on which he can now set his sights.
The Northern Irishman recently sealed a fourth straight Race to Dubai title – and seventh overall – to overtake Seve Ballesteros and move within one of Colin Montgomerie’s record.
It was a neat full stop on what McIlroy called the “highest point” of his career, in which he also became Europe’s first grand slam champion and third in the continent’s all-time list of major champions.
Of course, McIlroy isn’t done there. “I still don’t feel like I’m finished yet,” he declared defiantly ahead of the Australian Open. He is now two behind Harry Vardon – who won The Open six times around a sole US Open victory – and within one of Nick Faldo, whose trophy room boasts three Claret Jugs and three Green Jackets.
The next chance McIlroy has to catch the Englishman will be at the Masters in April. But Faldo is one of just three players who have been able to successfully defend at Augusta, and has issued a warning to his current generation rival about the emotionally toll it can have on a player.
Regardless of what happens in the coming years, McIlroy has cemented himself as one of the finest to ever grace the fairways. After all, he is now part of our sport’s most exclusive club.
But the best European of all time?
Montgomerie is as well placed as anyone to judge, so I put the question to the Scot in a call to promote the Skechers World Champions Cup. His answer began in typical Monty fashion.
“Oh, goodness, my word,” he stutters. “I mean, if you’re talking about the best players, you’ve got to think about major championships, haven’t you?
“It’s always a difficult task to rank Tiger Woods against Jack Nicklaus. In my view, Tiger was, and is, the best player that’s ever played the game. Now he hasn’t won as many majors as Jack, but the competition was very different when Tiger was playing.
“All the world events that Tiger did, and all the records that Tiger holds, and with all respect to Jack, I would say that Tiger is the best player that’s ever lived.”
So how can that be applied to the case for the best European golfer ever? Montgomerie, he assures, is going somewhere.
“Faldo has six majors, and Rory and Seve have five,” he confirms. “Now, does that mean Faldo is better than Rory? No. Does that mean Rory is better than Faldo? It’s a very difficult thing to equate, because it’s a different generation.
“I would say now that Rory has won on all four surfaces. you’d have to put him ahead of Faldo and say that Rory is the best European player ever to play.”
But there’s a sidebar to Montgomerie’s argument. “Seve, I think, is still number one in Ryder Cup terms, as the passion of the European team,” he explains. “Rory is getting there, but Seve is still number one within the European team room.
“But I would put my head on the block here and say that Rory is the best European player ever now. He’s achieved what no European player has achieved in the past, in winning the grand slam.”
And where does Montgomerie, who has the third most European Tour wins ever and – for now – more Order of Merit titles than anyone, rank himself?
A huge smile broadens across his face.
“Oh, a close fourth,” he says, laughing. “I’ll take fourth place!”
He jokes, but it’s hard to argue against it.
Monty’s Race to Dubai pledge to Rors
Montgomerie has pre-emptively accepted defeat in the bid to be the player with the most Order of Merit wins.
Although, he says of McIlroy, “if there was one to do that, I would rather it be him”.
Last month, ahead of wrapping up a seventh Race to Dubai – as the season-long standings are known these days – McIlroy said Montgomerie’s achievement “doesn’t get talked about enough”.
“It’s amazing to have that sustained excellence for that long,” he added. “There’s a lot of people that can have a good year or a two-year run, but to sustain that for seven years straight, especially in that golden age of European golf where he’s going up against Faldo and [Sandy] Lyle and [Bernard] Langer and [Ian] Woosnam.
“I’m not saying that this isn’t a pretty good generation, too, but he had to fend off some really tough competition.”
While Montgomerie was keen to note that he is appreciative of McIlroy’s praise, it’s also sentiment with which he firmly agrees.
“A lot of his competition are playing in America, whereas we didn’t really,” he explains. “Faldo, Seve, Langer, Lyle, Woosnam, myself, [Jose Maria] Olazabal, [Ronan] Rafferty, [Gordon] Brand Jr, [Sam] Torrance – these guys that I was competing against in the early days weren’t members of the PGA Tour.”
While he slightly misremembers Faldo finishing in the top three, Montgomerie recalls his Scandinavian Masters win in 1991, where fifth-ranked Seve Ballesteros was runner-up and and World No.1 Ian Woosnam tied for third and notes that getting two or three of the top five at the top of the leaderboard “doesn’t happen now in Europe”.
“It was a very astute thing to say,” he continues of McIlroy’s praise. “I was very honored by what he said.
“It was my honor to captain him when he was a Ryder Cup rookie in 2010 and, from then on, I’ve really followed his career very closely.
“What a talent he has, and, I’m sure, in the years to come he’ll break my record.
“Having won all the majors, and having won the Ryder Cup away, twice, there’s one record left, which is that nine Orders of Merit.
“If he keeps his health, he will attain that, and I’ll make sure I’m in Dubai and I’ll be delighted to hand over that ninth trophy to him.”
As for making a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai trophy next season, Montgomerie wouldn’t bet against it – and disagrees with Faldo’s take on defending the Green Jacket.
“The way he focuses is on his game, and the way that he’s playing the game right now, is extraordinary,” he explains.
“Having now won the Masters, and going back as defending champion, I think there will be a little bit of less pressure on him. I expect Rory to have a great season. He’s swinging the club very well, and his putting has improved dramatically.
“So you put the ball striking with [the] putting, and you have someone that can compete in every tournament he plays.”
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