Tour Confidential: Where does Rory McIlroy’s Masters win rank among the best ever?
Rory McIlroy last Sunday after winning the Masters.
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Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss where Rory McIlroy’s Masters win ranks among the best ever, and more.
1. Now that we’ve had a week to fully digest the 2025 Masters and Rory McIlroy’s first green jacket (and career Grand Slam), where would you rank it among some of the best Masters of all time?
Zephyr Melton, assistant editor (@zephyrmelton): I can reliably rank Masters only in my lifetime (since 1994), and in that time frame, I’d rank it top three, with 1997 and 2019 being the others. The excitement of Sunday, mixed with the historical implications, made it one of the best watches I’ve ever had. What a tournament.
Josh Schrock, assistant news editor (@Schrock_And_Awe): To me, it’s probably the best in my lifetime. Tiger’s win in 2019 was amazing just for the incredible feat of him becoming the Tiger Woods of old one last time at Augusta National, but the final round itself wasn’t as thrilling as what we witnessed last week. That’s because Tiger hit just fairways and the middle of greens while Rory oscillated between full flight and complete meltdown. The yo-yo nature of the final round, coupled with the grand slam and what would have been the worst devastation of Rory’s career, made it No. 1 on my list. I’ll go 2025, 2019 and 1997, with an honorable mention to 2004.
Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): Whew, I’ve been thinking about this all week. Jack in ’86. Mize’s chip-in. Tiger’s first and last wins. There’ve been some outstanding ones. But what didn’t this Masters have? Tight leaderboard. Good leaderboard. Dramatic finish. Ecstatic and popular winner. Hard to beat, for sure.
2. With his Masters title in his back pocket, a major drought snapped and that weight finally off his shoulders, what do you expect to see from McIlroy in the remaining three majors? Are you picking him as the early favorite to win any of the remaining three?
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Melton: When you’re hot, you’re hot. Golfers tend to win in bunches, and when that window is open, it’s critical to take advantage. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rory in the hunt many more times this season, especially in the majors.
Schrock: With the career grand slam done and dusted, why not win all four? Next up is the PGA at Quail Hollow, a course McIlroy has dominated in his career. The Open is at Royal Portrush, where he owns the course record, and he has been one of the best U.S. Open players over the past four years — he just doesn’t have a win to show for it. I think he wins at least one more this year, especially with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele still searching post injury.
Piastowski: Yes. I’m in. I’ve fallen victim to recency bias after like every major, but picking him to be the favorite for the next three doesn’t seem too outlandish. Schrock explains why above. But yeah, golf. Being the favorite is one thing. Winning is another. Shoot, folks were thinking the same of Scottie Scheffler as late as last December.
3. Last week, Rory ended his major drought, and on Sunday at the RBC Heritage, Justin Thomas ended his winless slump, beating Andrew Novak in a playoff at Harbour Town to pick up his first win since the 2022 PGA Championship. Thomas reminded us of his firepower with his 61 Thursday; what had been holding him back during this winless stretch?
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Melton: Golf is hard, and even the best in the world go through slumps. Watching superstars go through struggles reminds us how hard this game is, and gives us an even greater appreciation for those who win year in and year out.
Schrock: I think Zephyr nailed it. Thomas won and won a lot from 2015 to 2022. Even the best modern pro golfers go in slumps, unless your name is Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or Rory McIlroy. Thomas was inaccurate with the driver as he tooled his swing and then his normally reliable putter went away. It all seems to be back now, which is good news for the PGA Tour. The more stars at the peak of their powers, the better. Next up: Jordan Spieth?
Piastowski: Swing stuff. Expectation stuff. Other pros being better stuff. It happens. But then it snowballs, and that’s hard to shovel out of. But man, full-power JT is fun to watch. And yeah, his first PGA Championship win came at Quail Hollow.
4. Wesley Bryan was suspended indefinitely by the PGA Tour for competing in LIV Golf’s “The Duels: Miami” event last month, Bryan confirmed to Ryan French of Monday Q Info. We also recently learned that YouTube creator Grant Horvat, who competed in the same event, received a sponsor’s invitation to the Barracuda Championship later this year. Any issues with the handling of either of these?
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Melton: The optics of suspending Wes right after offering Grant Horvat an exemption are … not good. But as a Tour member, Bryan should be held to a different standard than a content creator. If I’m being honest, I simply do not care about Youtube golfers and I’m a bit tired of talking about them.
Schrock: I don’t understand why a conditional PGA Tour member like Wes Bryan is in these creator events to begin with. Why is a guy who was close to retaining his card last year battling Fat Perez and Rick Shiels? YouTube golf isn’t my thing. Bryan should probably be held to a different standard than Horvat. But it’s not a great look. I also don’t care.
Piastowski: Man, I actually like YouTube golf. It’s fast, it’s digestible, it’s personable. OK, the question. Yeah, the optics are weird. Seeing the news of a suspension and an invitation almost at the same time isn’t great. For what it’s worth, I also think an exemption could have been made for Bryan — it wasn’t an actual LIV event and it was competing against nothing — but he also seemingly knew what he was getting into.
5. The LPGA kicks off its major season with the Chevron Championship in the Woodlands, Texas, with Nelly Korda defending her title. What’s the main storyline we need to monitor?
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Melton: Can Jeeno Thitikul take the next step? She’s been among the most consistent golfers in the world over the past several years, but she’s yet to get it done in a major. I’d like to see her in the hunt come Sunday evening.
Schrock: I was going to go with Rose Zhang but her recent WD due to a neck injury casts doubt on whether or not she’ll be able to tee it up. I’m going to go with Charley Hull. Hull is a star and is great for the women’s game, but it’s time for her to finally knock off a major championship.
Piastowski: Can Nelly defend? She’s been mildly slow to start this year — no wins, but no missed cuts. A strong performance, of course, erases that.
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