Golf’s most valued and criticized player is Tiger Woods and golf’s newest sensation is Rory McIlroy. McIlroy stunned crowds again as he came back to win the PGA Championship on Sunday, his third win in three starts that include the British Open and the World Golf Championship: Bridgestone Invitational.
McIlroy is captivating golf fans young and old and he’s getting plenty of fame. He’s won three of four major tournaments and four total majors since 2011 when he won the U.S. Open at Congressional.
The question that continues to come up while Rory, 25, shows his success and Tiger, 38, shows his struggles due to injury, is one that asks if Rory McIlroy is the new Tiger Woods.
Well, instead of blabbering about current events, let the numbers tell you whether or not Rory is better than Tiger before he even turned 25.
Rory McIlroy- Northern Ireland- 2014
Age: 25
Turned pro: Age 18
Career tournament wins: 23 worldwide
Current World Golf Rank: 1
Annual Earnings: $24.3 million
Career PGA Prize Money: $20.3 million
Driving Distance: 310.7 yards (Rank: 3)
Scoring Average: 68.75 (Rank:
Major Victories: 4
Major Victories in this year: 2
Different Major Victories: 3 (U.S. Open 2011, British Open 2012, PGA Championship 2012, 2014)
Tiger Woods- United States of America- 2000
Age: 24
Turned pro: Age 20
Career tournament wins: 24 (PGA)
Driving Distance: 298.0 (Rank: 2)
Scoring Average: 67.79 (Rank: 1)
Major Victories: 5
Major Victories in this year: 3
Different Major Victories: 4
Something that opens my eyes is that Rory went pro at age 18 while Tiger went pro at age 20. Rory has had two extra years to accumulate what he has done so far compared to what Tiger had done. Tiger still led in tour wins, major wins and scoring average.
Tiger is no longer 24, he is 38 years of age. He has won 79 official PGA Tour events and 14 majors. He’s also won 18 World Golf Championships since they started in 1999. Tiger won his 14th major at the age of 32. Rory would have to win 1.7 majors per year to achieve that. He would also need 5.8 PGA Tour wins per year to match Tiger’s 79 by the age of 38.
Who’s better? You’ve been given the numbers, you decide.