Over this past weekend the Masters, the most famous golf competition in the world, was played. Personally, I am not a golf fanatic, but I noticed the big buzz about it because of one man … Rory McIlroy. McIlroy just won the Masters, which is a great achievement, but what makes it even more impressive is that he won it back-to-back, becoming the fourth person in history, along with some of the sports greats such as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo, to accomplish this feat. Which prompts the question — is McIlroy “one of the greats”?
McIlroy was definitely heading into this Masters as one of the favorites, being the previous winner. And being the previous winner of the Masters comes with some perks. The main one was his ability to use the course, Augusta National Golf Course, two weeks before everyone else, which could be seen as an insane advantage, getting to know the course ahead of time. One could argue that is an advantage set him up to win it again. And some have called it a downright unfair advantage against his competitors.
It was 100% his right to do this. He wasn’t exploiting something; he’s the reigning champion of the Masters, he has more than earned the right to use the course. And what serious competitor whose legacy is on the line would not use that benefit? In soccer, if a big match is coming up and a team has an extra day to rest while their opponent has to play a game, would the team with an extra day schedule a random match to play? No, that’s ridiculous. The nature of sports is a dog-eat-dog type mentality. You need a sort of mental toughness to be an elite athlete.
Speaking of mentality, I think McIlroy showed that in abundance. Every great athlete is talented, but what sets the great and the extraordinary apart is that mentality. McIlroy started to get hot, stayed hot for majority of the tournament. And yet he almost fumbled the lead and even lost the lead once or twice. But he kept his focus. He kept his cool. And ended winning the whole thing by one stroke.
This goes back to my title on whether he is one of the greatest to ever do it in golf … and the short answer is no, at least not yet. The Masters is the pinnacle of golf, and to have only now won at this stage of McIlroy’s career must be a bit of a letdown. But he does have an opportunity to do what no one else has ever done … a three-peat. If he could do that, without a doubt, you would have to put him in the same stratosphere as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
Often in sports, you have your good athletes and your great athletes. What sets them apart? What’s stopping McIlroy from touching that peak? In soccer, you have your players that are immortalized in the sport. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pelé, Maradona and Johan Cruyff. The reason these guys are by far the greatest is that they all have one specific attribute. This isn’t a conversation pitting talent and hard work against one another. It’s a specific claim or something of major significance no one else in the sport will likely touch. Messi has seven Ballon d’Ors. Ronaldo is reaching 100 goals and three-peating the UCL, the most prestigious competition in soccer. Cruyff changed the landscape of soccer and modernized the tactical side of the sport. Maradona won his country’s first World Cup while being one of the most scandalous figures in sports history. And finally, Pelé became the sport’s first major superstar, winning a World Cup at 17 for Brazil. These accomplishments are all things that separate them from their peers, who, in their own right, are incredibly talented as well. It’s not just the talent; instead, it’s the achievements that are near impossible to replicate.
In basketball, it’s obvious: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain. Although there are many athletes in basketball who have a claim to be in this top category of players, these specific players all have something the rest don’t — individual achievements. Jordan has his six championships. LeBron being “The Chosen One” and living up to the GOAT conversations that he had when he was 18. Stephen Curry making the three-point shot and going 73-9 in a season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with six MVPs — the most in MVP history. And, of course, Wilt Chamberlain has the only 100-point game.
McIlroy is close to being in the conversation with the other golf greats, joining a short list of athletes who have two back-to-back Masters wins. But those guys also have things that separate them from that conversation to make them indisputable. And what exactly is that? Tiger Woods has is 82 major wins. Jack Nicklaus has six Masters wins, the most in history. These specific things cement them both as indisputable. What does McIlroy have that others would most likely never reach? Becoming the first golfer to achieve three back-to-back-to-back Masters wins would set him in a whole different stratosphere. That said, this is a major task considering he must win the next one. And based on his track record, McIlroy does not win in landslide victories. Both of his Master’s wins have been dangerously close. So does he have it in him to immortalize his name in golf history? And when it’s all said and done, will he do what it takes to be one of the greats?
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