Rory McIlroy Has Mountain to Climb to Be Best European Golfer Ever

“I would like to go down as the most successful European of all time,” Rory McIlroy said in a press conference prior to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.“That's something that I would like to, I think is a goal that's quite attainable over the next ten years.”

While his record is ridiculously substantial, he has some catching up to do to match European legends like Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie.

McIlroy has already won the DP World Tour season-long title, now called the Race to Dubai, five times. He’s just one behind Ballesteros. Like the FedEx Cup, the Race to Dubai is points-based, and right now he's leading. 

When it comes to measuring himself against Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy has a tough challenge. 

Ballesteros started winning year-long Euro Tour titles in 1976. He won three in a row from 1976 through 1978. He skipped eight seasons at the top and picked up again in 1986,1988, and 1991, for his last one. 

Ballesteros would go on to capture 50 European Tour victories, the most of any player. His six season-long titles were astonishing at the time.   

Bernhard Langer, before he became a PGA Tour Champions legend with 47 victories, was a European legend, winning 42 times on the DP World Tour, two of which were U.S. majors, his Masters titles. He was the first player ever to be No. 1 in the World Rankings when they debuted in 1986. Because he played against Ballesteros and Montgomerie (and Sandy Lyle and Ian Woosnam) his whole career, Langer won the leading money title just twice. It’s a miracle he was able to do it at all.   

But in the 1990s, both Ballesteros and Langer were overtaken by the talent of Colin Montgomerie. If Ballesteros were alive, he would surely send a dagger-like stare at anyone who suggested such a thing, but it’s the truth.   

When Montgomerie burst onto the scene in the 1990s, he became totally dominant on the European circuit. How dominant? He won 31 tournaments and is placed 4th on the all-time list of most European Tour victories, but that’s deceptive. 

Tiger Woods is third with 41 European Tour titles to his credit, but only eight of those were true European, non-major events. Woods’ 15 majors and all his WGCs were counted on both Tours, giving him a double dip in terms of what he’s won across the pond. In reality, Montgomerie should be 3rd, behind Seve Ballesteros, with 50, and Bernhard Langer, with 42. 

Before he “retired” to the PGA Tour Champions Tour, which he still plays, Montgomerie won a colossal eight season-long titles in Europe. At the time, it was called the Order of Merit. Seven of his titles were in a row. In fact, from 1993 through 1999, it seemed like nobody else had a chance. His eighth and final one came in 2005, an exclamation mark on a seemingly impossible-to-match achievement. It’s a record that still seems untouchable. 

So, while Rory McIlroy seems ready to win his sixth DP World Tour title, he will actually have to do it. Then he will need to win it two more times to tie Montgomerie’s lofty mark. Finally, he will have to win it one additional time to topple the European Tour record books and Montgomerie.

And where, you might ask, is Nick Faldo in all this? He is one victory behind Montgomerie at 30. Six of his European wins are majors, three Masters, and three British Opens. But he has retired to a ranch in Montana.

Now, it’s up to McIlroy. With a victory this week, he gets closer to his goal of being the best European player ever, but he still has a generous-sized mountain to climb to get there.