Rory McIlroy’s second consecutive Masters victory has reignited debate over where the Northern Irish star ranks among golf’s all-time greats, and UB students had plenty to say following his historic performance in Augusta, GA.
McIlroy surged to a Masters-record six-shot lead after the second round before seeing the field close the gap over the weekend, entering Sunday tied with Cameron Young atop the leaderboard. He ultimately rallied late in the final round to secure his second consecutive green jacket and sixth career major championship, becoming the first player since Tiger Woods in 2001-2002 to repeat as Masters champion.
The Spectrum set out to see what golf enthusiasts on campus had to say on the historic matter, and they delivered.
“I was rooting for Scottie Scheffler, but I was very happy Rory won it. You can’t be mad, he’s a nice guy,” said freshman engineering major Will Fettig.
Others admitted they expected McIlroy’s lead to disappear once the pressure mounted.
“I was surprised,” Senior double major in history and law, Ethan Wicks said. “I thought he was gonna choke it since he had a very sizable lead and then lost that lead.”
Instead, Wicks pointed to McIlroy’s composure as the defining factor in his victory.
“His ability to play super consistently on the back nine, and his ability not to crack when things got tough,” Wicks said.
Junior civil engineering major Jack Syracuse said McIlroy’s resilience under pressure represented a major shift from previous years.
“Usually what happens in the past, Rory would always have a pretty substantial lead and by the 15th hole he would not have the lead anymore,” Syracuse said. “So him being able to get the lead back was definitely impressive.”
Other students agreed, crediting McIlroy’s ability to finally deliver under pressure.
“I think his ability to play under pressure and not fold this time around was really impressive, especially because he’s struggled in high-pressure situations in the past,” Freshman law major Aidan Gleeson said.
“His composure, since he is known to falter at the end, shows his evolution as a golfer,” junior mechanical engineering major Khalil said. “He got the confidence of it after winning it last year.”
Graduate architecture student Ryan Allgaier pointed to McIlroy’s driving ability as one of the biggest reasons for his sustained dominance.
“He gains so many strokes on his driver alone,” Allgaier said. “He doesn’t have the iron ability of like Colin Morikawa or Scottie’s short game, but his driver goes so far it puts him at such an advantage when he’s hitting the ball well.”
McIlroy’s latest victory also sparked discussion over where he now belongs historically.
Fettig said the back-to-back Masters titles cement McIlroy as a top-10 golfer of all time, while Syracuse ranked him even higher.
“He definitely is in the top 10,” Syracuse said. “I would not put him in the top five, but at the six spot probably.”
Others remained more conservative in their evaluations.
“I think if Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus are A-plus, then Rory is a B,” Wicks said. “He’s maybe top 20 all time.”
Allgaier shared a similar opinion.
“As of now, I think I would put him in the top 20,” Allgaier said.
Regardless of where one places McIlroy in the all-time rankings, students agree his second straight Masters title further cemented his status as one of golf’s defining players of his era.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
