Everyone is on the Rory bandwagon right now, with good reason. He's a young talent who just proved his worth on one of the biggest stages in the world. But before we become consumed by Rory-mania or Rory-ravings, let's have a little perspective. Who are the best players ever on the European Tour? And where does McIlroy fall on the list?
25. Darren Clarke, with 13 European Tour victories and 21 professional titles around the world, is one of the few who can claim victory over Tiger Woods in his prime, at the 2000 Anderson Consulting Match Play Championship, now the WGC Accenture Match Play. Clarke has made five Ryder Cup appearances, most often with Lee Westwood as a partner.
24. Mark James has 18 European Tour victories and total of 29 overall. He played Walker Cup as an amateur. On the Champions Tour, he won a major—the Ford Senior Players Championship. James appeared on seven Ryder Cup teams and was captain in 1999 at Brookline.
23. Sam Torrance has 21 European Tour titles and was awarded both the MBE and OBE. He was on eight Ryder Cup teams, captained in 2002. Torrance has 43 worldwide professional victories.
22. Lee Westwood achieved the No. 1 in the world position in 2010 position, ending the reign of Tiger Woods at the top spot. Westwood was the first British golfer since Nick Faldo in 1994 to become No. 1. He has 21 European Tour victories, 35 professional titles in all, appeared on seven Ryder cup teams and was awarded the OBE.
21. Colin Montgomerie, who won seven straight Order of Merits and eight in all, an OBE, Ryder Cup stalwart, 31 European Tour victories and 40 worldwide professional victories would be ranked higher had he been able to capture major titles. His Ryder Cup record is an astonishing 20–9–7, and with total points of 23.5, he is only one-and-a-half points behind Nick Faldo.
20. Rory McIlroy is the most recent European to win a major championship—the US Open. He has two European victories and one on the PGA Tour. Does his single major count more than Westwood's or Montgomerie's longer careers? When looking at history, the most important tournaments count the most. Should McIlroy never win again, it would be difficult to put Westwood behind him, but golf measures majors above all.
19. Graeme McDowell was a surprising US Open champion in 2010, but he had a superior season. In all, McDowell has seven European Tour titles and one unofficial victory at the Chevron World Challenge where he stared down Tiger Woods in a playoff. He received an MBE as a result of his US Open victory and play at the Ryder Cup where he won the decisive point for Europe.
18. Ian Woosnam, with 29 European Tour victories and a major in the Masters, as well as 31 matches on eight Ryder Cup teams—with a total of 16.5 points—is a standout in the history of European golf. He was never a world No. 1.
17. Martin Kaymer has nine European Tour victories, won the 2010 PGA Championship and is a former world No. 1. Kaymer tops the current crop of European players as he has a major and has already been No. 1, albeit for a short time.
16. Tony Jacklin won the Open Championship in 1969 and was the first British winner in 18 years. The following spring, he won the US Open, becoming the first British winner of that event since 1924 when Cyril Walker of England captured the title. However, as heralded as Jacklin is for his major titles, his eight European victories and 28 professional titles, he is more highly regarded for bringing Ryder Cup victory to Europe in 1985, 1987 and 1989 after a 22-year drought. He is a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
15. Bob Ferguson, of Scotland, won three Open Championships in the 1880s.
14. James Anderson, of Scotland, won three Open Championships in the 1870s.
13. Henry Cotton won three Open Championships in the 1930s. He also won at least 17 tournaments in Europe, was knighted and awarded an MBE. Cotton was a highly regarded player in the 1930s and 1940s.
12. Sandy Lyle with a Masters and Open Championship as well as The Players. He has 18 European Tour titles and 30 professional victories in all. Lyle has perhaps been undervalued as a player.
11. Jose Maria Olazabal, with two major championships, like Langer, both Masters titles, Olazabal became the perfect Ryder Cup partner for Seve Ballesteros. His 23 European Tour titles put him in eighth place in victories on that tour. He is sixth in points won in Ryder Cup with 15.5.
10. Bernhard Langer, with two major championships, both Masters titles, 42 European Tour titles, 84 professional victories, 20.5 Ryder Cup points, 38 Ryder Cup matches and participation on nine Ryder Cup teams jumps ahead of the others based on his victories and contributions to European golf.
9. Padraig Harrington has three majors, two Open Championships and one PGA. He also has 14 European Tour victories and 26 in all. Harrington has been on six Ryder Cup teams.
8. Willie Park Sr., won four Open Championships, including the fist one in 1860.
7. Tom Morris Jr., four Open Championships.
6. Tom Morris Sr., four Open Championships and greenskeeper at St. Andrews, brought The Old Course back into playable condition in the 1860s.
The Triumvirate: Harry Vardon, J.H. Taylor and James Braid traveled the US doing exhibitions to generate interest in golf. There was no professional circuit in the US in their day. There were professional events in Europe.
5. James Braid won five Open Championships. His 1906 victory in The Open Championship was the last back-to-back by a European until Pádraig Harrington was able to do it. He designed a number of golf courses including the "King's Course" and the "Queen's Course" at Gleneagles and remodeled Carnoustie Golf Links.
4. John Henry "J.H." Taylor who won five Open Championships. Taylor was a co-founder and the first chairman of the British Professional Golfers' Association which was started in 1901. He was captain of the Ryder Cup matches in 1933, and his team won.
3. Seve Ballesteros is, rightly, credited as being the "Arnold Palmer" of European golf. However, despite his influence, he has two less major championship titles—five—than our No. 1. However, he does have the most European Tour victories with 50. Ballesteros was important to the growth and development of the modern European Tour.
2. Nick Faldo, with six major championships, 30 European tour titles, 25 Ryder Cup points won (the most by any player), 46 Ryder Cup matches played, participation on the most Ryder Cup teams with 11, nine PGA Tour titles and an MBE and knighthood to his credit, must be considered one of the very best that Europe has delivered. Certainly he is the best of the modern era.
1. Harry Vardon won The Open Championship a record six times. He also won a U.S. Open, for a total of seven majors. Vardon was a superstar in his era, the first since Tom Morris Jr. and Tom Morris Sr., by all accounts. Vardon won 62 golf tournaments. He also popularized the overlapping grip that is still used by a most golfers today. He was second at the US Open in 1920 at the age of 50.
Editors view:
Doesn't matter about the achievements from golfers 100 hundred years or more. The best golfer of the modern era has to Seve who took the challenge to Americas back yard and beat them. With others following closely behind
