Jon Rahm Calls Rory McIlroy "Greatest European to Ever Play" Out of Many Other Good Things
Credits: IMAGO
Credits: IMAGO
Jon Rahm is currently ranked 20th in the world ranking, while his colleague, Rory McIlroy, is still holding his number 2 position. Former Ryder-Cup teammates, both golfers hold each other in high regard, and Rahm showered the highest praise on McIlroy recently.
Both top golfers entered the 2026 PGA Championship, but neither had the start that they would’ve wanted. Speaking to the media after Round 1 on Thursday, May 14, Rahm was asked about his “place in history” compared to the Northern Irish golfer.
“I think I need to accomplish a lot more to even think about it. It makes sense why Rory would think, second on the all-time list of majors in Europe. First one ever to do the grand slam. It makes sense why he would think about it, right? I would put him as the greatest European to ever play already.”
McIlroy, at 37 years of age, has truly accomplished what many golfers dream of achieving in a lifetime.
The former world No. 1 was the very first European player to achieve the career Grand Slam, winning all 4 Major Championships.
He won the U.S. Open in 2011, the PGA Championship the very next year, and the Open Championship in 2014, along with winning the PGA Championship again that year.
He added two more feathers to his cap by winning The Masters consecutively in 2025 and 2026. Rahm is not wrong when he places Rory in his “top-10 player of all time.”
Rory is second on the European All-Time Men's Majors list as well, with 6 majors, second only to Sir Nick Faldo, with 7 majors.
“When it comes to the grand scheme of things, he's up there, “ Rahm added.
But even the greatest falter, and Rory McIlroy is no exception.
Rory McIlroy has a poor first round at the PGA Championship
After a magnificent win at the 2026 Masters in April, McIlroy entered the next major, the PGA Championship, with significant momentum. But things went downhill quickly for the Northern 30-time PGA Tour winner.
The 2026 Green Jacket winner was accompanied by Cameron Young and Justin Rose on his round, achieving even par on the first 3 holes in Round 1.
Unfortunately, this was followed by a series of bogeys from hole 4 through to hole 9, except for a birdie on hole 5. Finishing up the front nine with a score of 4 above par, the back nine didn’t do him any favors either.
Hole 10 saw McIlroy make another bogey due to an inaccurate drive into the rough, leaving him scrambling to reach the fairway on his second shot. He fortunately followed this with a birdie on the 11th, from a decent approach shot.
The rest of the back nine saw only pars from the former World No. 1. He ended his round at +4, tied for T105.
Do you think Rory McIlroy can make a comeback over the weekend to win his third PGA Championship? Let us know in the comments.
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