The great debate: who is better Rory or Scottie?

Both players have had a “great” year thus far. Rory has three wins and they are more impressive. (Pebble Beach, The Players, and the Masters). Two of the wins were in playoffs. The wins were against “loaded” fields. Scottie has two wins by five or more strokes, including the PGA Championship.

Rory joined the PGA Tour in 2010 and won four majors by the age of 25 but then had a dry spell of 11 years before he won another Major, the Masters this year. Rory is only the sixth player in the history of golf to win the “Grand Slam”. Rory, age 36, has been a player much longer than Scottie and has 45 wins all over the world. So far, Rory has more wins and awards. However, it seems unfair to compare the two since Rory has been a professional much longer.

Scottie, age 29, has had far less opportunities to win than Rory. Scottie joins Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win three majors and 15 PGA titles before the age of 29. In 2024 Scottie won 7 times, including the Masters, The Players championship, four Signature Events, the Fed Ex Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal. Scottie has been the number one player on the PGA Tour for 105 consecutive weeks.
Both pros have strengths and weaknesses.

Rory is the best driver of the ball, possibly in the history of golf. He is a good iron player and putter. He tends to let his emotions get in the way at times. The politics of the PGA and LIV tour have distracted him. He doesn’t have a killer instinct and gets into too many playoffs.

Scottie has the best “mind” in the game. He is pretty even-keeled. He seems focused only on God, family and golf. He doesn’t show a lot of emotion. He is the best iron player in the game and his distance control to the greens is amazing. At times his driver and putter can leave him. However, this year his putting has improved.

As of this writing deadline, May 26th, Scottie will be playing in the Memorial Tournament (May 29th-June 1st) and Rory is skipping it for the first time since 2017. I thought the Signature Events were required of the top players, but not anymore. We will see the two players playing against each other again at the U.S. Open.

My verdict in in Rory is having the better year but Scottie will eventually go down in history as the better player. My bet is that Scottie will surpass Rory on Major wins and total wins. Only time will tell and then we will be able to compare their careers once they retire from the game.

Dr. Jean Harris is an LPGA Master Professional and teaches at local golf courses. jean.golfdoctor.harris@gmail.com; golfdoctorjean.com