How Many Majors Will McIlroy Win Throughout His Career??

SharpshooterTom

So Rory's well on his way to winning his second major as we speak. He's only 23 too.

I wondering now if we can put a prediction to see how many people here think what he might win throughout his career. I started a couple of threads not so long ago last year suggesting he would break Jack Nicklaus's record which at the time maybe looked laughable. If he wins 1 a year on average, it is very possible.

However many golfers these days suffer from long term injury problems, arthritis etc, e.g. Woods and golfers usually find their best days ending before 35. Its what did both Woods and Nicklaus with the amount of surgery that was required for both and slowed their game down and major hauls with it. So its not always easy to make a prediction about these things.

But how many do you think he will win by the end of his career? How many do you think he will win by the time he is 30, 35 etc.

Woods won his last major at 32, he's due to turn 37 shortly. He won 12 majors at the age of 30 and struggled since. So its not always plain sailing once you get to 30+, so be careful about these sort of things.

What do you think?

kiers47

My guess is 7(but its nothing more than a guess). I cant really see him winning an open not at the moment anyway. Although his performance this week has been unreal, lets not get carried away he has also had a lot of weekends off this year. Tiger was never missing cuts in his heyday.

Another year will tell a lot.

Martin567

kiers47 wrote: »

My guess is 7(but its nothing more than a guess). I cant really see him winning an open not at the moment anyway. Although his performance this week has been unreal, lets not get carried away he has also had a lot of weekends off this year. Tiger was never missing cuts in his heyday.

Another year will tell a lot.

Seve was younger than Rory when he won his second and he finished with five. You never can tell.

Rikand

7 - 10

Scorpion Sting

I'm gonna guess 12. He's only 23 so I can see him getting better and better. It's just a matter of staying healthy and being able to win when being closely challenged in the final few holes.

shrewdness

Think he'll make it into double figures, but just fall short of Tiger's total, nevermind Nicklaus' one. When you look through the list of recent major winners in recent years it has become so competitive, with so many first time winners also. Rory has just become the only player to win more than one in the last 4 years.

If he keeps focused and is determined to win as many as he possibly can then who knows because he has the talent, but my guess would be 11-12.

M.T. Cranium

I voted 7-10 but he could exceed that, from what we've seen so far, he has all the tools and seems like a well-adjusted person. Imagine how many majors John Daly might have won with a personality equal to his talent. (I know, 3).

Also I think he is quite likely to win all four eventually. Not many have done that.

This is the golden age of Irish golf, that's for certain.

TheDoc

It is completely subjective and speculative.

Five years who would have thought Tiger would hit this slump?
Seve was playing much more advanced competitive major winning golf then Rory, 2-3 years younger then him.

It is hard to tell, it's very important in relation to how he grows, matures and develops. I'm sure his game will continue on in strides no doubt, although I'd be weary of tweaking, he is winning majors, things work, refine what is poor. There is always the danger of striving for perfection and that is where the wheels come off.

Also very much down to how he manages his personal life and his ego outside of the golf course. Personally feel he has the look about him that he is very cocky and egotistical and gut feeling says he is going to mess up at some point. Just a gut feeling though, the way in which he parted with his ex then onto some tennis player and some comments he has made etc.

The above is very much my own opinion btw, I just can't take to him so I'd probably be more negative then positive. I've gone 3-6. I think we have seen better golfers in and around his age that went on to struggle, and there is EVERY possibility he could do the same.

Henry Ford III

2+

Keano

TheDoc wrote: »

It is completely subjective and speculative.

Five years who would have thought Tiger would hit this slump?
Seve was playing much more advanced competitive major winning golf then Rory, 2-3 years younger then him.

It is hard to tell, it's very important in relation to how he grows, matures and develops. I'm sure his game will continue on in strides no doubt, although I'd be weary of tweaking, he is winning majors, things work, refine what is poor. There is always the danger of striving for perfection and that is where the wheels come off.

Also very much down to how he manages his personal life and his ego outside of the golf course. Personally feel he has the look about him that he is very cocky and egotistical and gut feeling says he is going to mess up at some point. Just a gut feeling though, the way in which he parted with his ex then onto some tennis player and some comments he has made etc.

The above is very much my own opinion btw, I just can't take to him so I'd probably be more negative then positive. I've gone 3-6. I think we have seen better golfers in and around his age that went on to struggle, and there is EVERY possibility he could do the same.

Like who and were the 2 time major winners?


As for how many can he win. I'd say 7-10.

michael1930

The main issue for Rory is how many does he want to win.
He wanted the first because it was his first, he wanted this one to prove his critics wrong.
With his talent and leaving the uncontrollable issue of injury aside, it is his attitude to the game over the next 15 years that will decide the answer to this question.

RikkFlair

Hard to say, 8 or 9 for me. If we are doing the inevitable Tiger comparison, he is coming into that point in his career where Tiger held all 4 majors at the one time. In the 12 majors of 2000-02, Tiger won 6 of them.

Thats the sort of domination Rory will have to emulate, and lets not forget his other 3 majors this year were very poor.

If he ended with 10 majors it would be phenomenal, considering only Woods, Nicklaus & Hagen are ahead of that mark.

rrpc

It's difficult to imagine him beating Tiger's or Nicklaus' records though Nicklaus himself has high hopes for him.

The second major can sometimes be the hardest one to get, Woods took over two years to get his second. Getting a second is also no guarantee of getting more, but at Rory's age, there are very few with two majors and there's plenty of time ahead for more barring injury.

There's nothing particularly wrong with his game other than perhaps a minor weakness with putts longer than 15 to 20 feet and a touch of waywardness with longer drives but its his mental strength that would lead me to believe he has the ability to make double figures.

heavyballs

TheDoc wrote: »

It is completely subjective and speculative.

Five years who would have thought Tiger would hit this slump?
Seve was playing much more advanced competitive major winning golf then Rory, 2-3 years younger then him.

It is hard to tell, it's very important in relation to how he grows, matures and develops. I'm sure his game will continue on in strides no doubt, although I'd be weary of tweaking, he is winning majors, things work, refine what is poor. There is always the danger of striving for perfection and that is where the wheels come off.

Also very much down to how he manages his personal life and his ego outside of the golf course. Personally feel he has the look about him that he is very cocky and egotistical and gut feeling says he is going to mess up at some point. Just a gut feeling though, the way in which he parted with his ex then onto some tennis player and some comments he has made etc.

The above is very much my own opinion btw, I just can't take to him so I'd probably be more negative then positive. I've gone 3-6. I think we have seen better golfers in and around his age that went on to struggle, and there is EVERY possibility he could do the same.

Name the better golfers pls.
You're taking sheite talk to a whole new level this morning.

rrpc

TheDoc wrote: »

It is completely subjective and speculative.

Five years who would have thought Tiger would hit this slump?
Seve was playing much more advanced competitive major winning golf then Rory, 2-3 years younger then him.

What is 'advanced competitive major winning golf'? Seve won his first major at the age of 22 (same age as McIlroy) and his second nine months later (Rory waited almost 14 months for his second win). Seve won his first tournament at the age of 19 and had won 10 up to and including his second major, Rory won his first tournament at the age of 19 and has won 8 up to and including his second major.

Comparisons like this are invidious, but there's not much between the two in terms of their careers at this stage. It took Seve another three years before he collected his third major title, lets see how long it takes Rory.

Comments about his personal life are in poor taste and frankly irrelevant.

I think we have seen better golfers in and around his age that went on to struggle, and there is EVERY possibility he could do the same.

There are only five golfers younger than him (and not by much) who've had the same number of majors, there are only 76 golfers who've won 2 or more in history, so I'd love to know who are these better golfers you speak of.

cgpg5

How can you know? I'd imagine a few as time is indeed on his side. But people come from nowhere to win majors. He might win no more till he's 40 and go out and win one against all odds! In the next 5 years I'd guess he'll win at least one anyway

Shifty Shellshock

Threads like this are boring cos where is the fun in guessing numbers?

FixdePitchmark

Shifty Shellshock wrote: »

Threads like this are boring cos where is the fun in guessing numbers?

I guess I would be happy enough guessing numbers 3 out of 4 times.

Keano

Shifty Shellshock wrote: »

Threads like this are boring cos where is the fun in guessing numbers?

And adding that point is a wonderful contribution!

john why

Theres no reason he cant at least catch tigger.

MP62

Keano A Legend wrote: »

Shifty Shellshock wrote: »

Threads like this are boring cos where is the fun in guessing numbers?

And adding that point is a wonderful contribution!

He made a valid point, this thread title is just plain silly at best, and if any one knew the answer to the OPs question they'd make millions.
Now if the had inserted "do you think" in the thread title then maybe the thread would have some merit.

cunnifferous

I'd say about 5, if he maintains his current inconsistency, which is still quite amazing really. Tiger won a good few of his majors not by playing amazing but being being the least worst over the 72. Can't see Rory picking up these kind of wins.

M.T. Cranium

Let's put it this way, if anyone could be a major (and big tournament) winning machine out there right now, it would be Rory more than any other player I can see. He's got all the tools, and course management. The fans over here like him (that's not always the case with European stars, remember the troubles Monty had). Since 3/4 of the majors are played over here, that is a key. Monty would have won 4-5 majors if they were all played in Europe.

As for him being "cocky" well, would we not all be cocky if we could win a major by 6-7 strokes? If I won any PGA tournament I would be damned hard to live with for about five years, even if it were the Mud Creek Open.

Anyway, as to Rory being the right sort of player, what would you fix? Get back to me. I would fix the times he doesn't play like he played on Sunday.

Who wouldn't have a few bad outings? Tiger in his absolute prime had that aura of invincibility that we may never see again. Rory won't have that, he is not quite that separated from the pack. Or maybe he is, sinking every putt in a final round of a major? Retief Goosen did that at the U.S. Open a few years back, more or less. Mike Weir did it at the 2003 Masters. Very rare feat, especially at 22 years of age. But there is the luck factor too. Tiger won majors from Bob May and Rocco Mediate without those B-pack players making a bad shot. They held it together against all the odds, played flawless final rounds, and he still beat them. So that was two freebies in my mind. Hogan lost to Jack Fleck, look it up. Same dynamics, different luck.

As to other phenoms who might win a few, Bubba Watson might win 3-5, he will go through many ups and downs but he's a gamer. He is never totally off the course as we found out. Adam Scott can't be this unlucky forever. Ricky Fowler has a few in him. Luke Donald seems to have the perfect game for majors yet he always seems to win everything but majors. But so many majors fall into the hands of one-timers who then basically go to sleep, probably having achieved their one big goal in their golfing dreams. Anyone seen Rich Beem lately?

getzls

john why wrote: »

Theres no reason he cant at least catch tigger.

Sorry John, i really can't help being spelling police here.:D

rrpc

M.T. Cranium wrote: »

But so many majors fall into the hands of one-timers who then basically go to sleep, probably having achieved their one big goal in their golfing dreams. Anyone seen Rich Beem lately?

This is probably the most germane question; how many does he want to win?

Winning the US Open last year was something he had to do to prove to himself and the rest of the world that he hadn't lost it along with the Masters, the PGA win was a similar exercise in silencing self and external doubts as to whether he'd lost it again.

It seems that when he wants to win, really wants to win, he can. So far the motivation has apparently come from outside him, he's been spurred on by critics and media speculation and possibly to a lesser extent by what he wants himself. He needs to be able to bottle that and carry it in to every tournament he plays if he's going to challenge the greats. There's no doubt he can do it, it only remains to be seen as to whether he really wants to.

SharpshooterTom

I'm not going bumping this every time he wins a major, but I'm curious if anyone will change their opinion now his major total is beginning to accumulate now.

What I do find strange, as I've said in the open thread, is despite his ridiculous talents, he's only winning 1 or 2 tournaments a year on average. Tiger was winning around 6-8 in his peak.

There's increasingly belief now from many he will overtake Nicklaus and Woods. He did say recently "there's more to life than winning majors" in response to Nick Faldo saying he doesn't train hard enough. Wonder if he still has that attitude and if it does will that hamper him. It feels like he could win a lot more, but only when he's in the mood and motivated.

ForeRight

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

I'm not going bumping this every time he wins a major, but I'm curious if anyone will change their opinion now his major total is beginning to accumulate now.

What I do find strange, as I've said in the open thread, is despite his ridiculous talents, he's only winning 1 or 2 tournaments a year on average. Tiger was winning around 6-8 in his peak.

There's increasingly belief now from many he will overtake Nicklaus and Woods. He did say recently "there's more to life than winning majors" in response to Nick Faldo saying he doesn't train hard enough. Wonder if he still has that attitude and if it does will that hamper him. It feels like he could win a lot more, but only when he's in the mood and motivated.

He's right though. There is more to life than major records. I'm sure he doesn't want it to become an obsession at this early stage.

PARlance

7-10 seems about right.
We could be waiting another 2 years before the accumulating of majors continues.

yettie1701

I think it depends on how well he keeps his head in the right place. He undoubtedly has the game to win 15 majors but it depends on his head. Nick Faldo seems a bit jealous of him I think. Probably because he knows mcilroy is way more talented than he ever was. He doesn't seem to be as prolific a winner as tiger was when he was at the peak of his powers. I wonder how long into his career can he bend and contort his body the way he does. Wait till he is around the 40 mark and doesn't need to tighten his belt buckle as much any more will he still swing the club as well. I'm going to say he will win 10 majors.

GreeBo

I think he should not just focus on majors yet. Tiger played in and won everything for years, winning is a habit, I think he should try to win more tournaments not just the majors

GCW

As the Tigmeister said about Rory:

"When he gets it going, he gets it going. When it gets going bad, it gets going real bad. It's one or the other."

True enough. I can't personally see him catching Tiger. I'd question if he would be as prolific. When he wins em he'll win em well. To use a football analogy, a Giles-ism, he's not a great goal scorer, but he's a scorer of great goals.

rrpc

GreeBo wrote: »

I think he should not just focus on majors yet. Tiger played in and won everything for years, winning is a habit, I think he should try to win more tournaments not just the majors

This is so true. At the moment, his majors/major tournament wins are a very high percentage of his overall wins. Almost ridiculously so. 13 wins with three majors and some pretty big tournaments like the BMW PGA.

Tobyglen

GreeBo wrote: »

I think he should not just focus on majors yet. Tiger played in and won everything for years, winning is a habit, I think he should try to win more tournaments not just the majors

Strange comment. He's obviously trying to win other tournaments, It's not like he doesn't want to win the tournaments he enters, he plays more than Woods did aswell.

He's just not as prolific as Woods, competition is probably tougher aswell.

aveytare

Woods didn't really start picking up majors til his mid-twenties as well and won his first a few years before his second. Anyway McIlroy seems to have his head in a good place so maybe he'll become a bit more consistent.

Golfnut77

If he got to 10 that would be an incredible achievement. Tiger had pretty much 3 guys that challenged him in Singh, Mickelson and Els when you compare that to today and the guys competing with McIlroy, I think it's going to be harder for him to reach the amount of majors that Nicklaus and Woods have.

I wouldn't be a massive McIlroy fan but his game is incredible, he was the only guy in the field capable of producing those 2 eagles on Saturday at such an important time. I just think his attitude is questionable at times and he doesn't appear to have the desire that Tiger had. But since he called off the engagement his game has gotten back to where it was so obviously things with the missus were weighing on his mind and he's now focused on his golf so maybe now we'll see him dominate like he did 2 years ago.

ib_sanf

I reckon he'll get something comparable to Gary Player. i.e about 10.

For sure he is capable of getting into the Tiger, Jack category. I just don't think he's as obsessed as they are/were to keep going and going for records.

I would say he'll be quite driven to complete the slam. In the longer term rather than chasing Tiger/Jack I'd see him getting involved in other stuff outside golf, bit lIke somebody like Greg Norman or Gary Player, and I think I read a quote from him in the past saying he didn't plan to still be playing in his forties - quite a bit of foresight for somebody so young! - and that was a few years ago.

Seve OB

GreeBo wrote: »

I think he should not just focus on majors yet. Tiger played in and won everything for years, winning is a habit, I think he should try to win more tournaments not just the majors

Tobyglen wrote: »

Strange comment. He's obviously trying to win other tournaments, It's not like he doesn't want to win the tournaments he enters, he plays more than Woods did aswell.

He's just not as prolific as Woods, competition is probably tougher aswell.

Not really. Maybe Rory is just laying up in some tournaments and trying to keep the ball in play and play safe rather than going for everything :rolleyes: ;) :eek:

mike12

When Woods was playing well everyone was that afraid of him once his name appeared on a scoreboard the rest were going into reverse. That will never happen again the guys now all feel they can win Majors and beat anyone.
I could see rory getting to around 10 by 30 and then deciding he had enough and walking away. earlier in the year and last year he looked a bit like Serigo a couple of years ago he just wasn't in love with golf any more it had turned into the day job that was getting in the way of life.
Reckon he could go on a run now like he did a couple of years ago and win the PGA in a couple of weeks.

pickarooney

Has anyone a graph of the ages of all the winners of the majors over the last 30 years or so?

rrpc

pickarooney wrote: »

Has anyone a graph of the ages of all the winners of the majors over the last 30 years or so?

Hope this matches your expectation. Each series is a number of major wins from 3 to 8. I could have gone farther but the population drops significantly after 8 wins

Boskowski

It is really hard to say. He's an exceptionally talented guy and he's got 3 already. I would definitely think he has another 3 in him but it could also be another 10 or more. Only time will tell, a lot depends on how he develops as a player and character and of course we don't know whether some other mega prodigy comes along in 5 years time and prevents him from winning loads. Surely Mickelson or Els would have a few more only for Tiger.