Rory McIlroy

At his peak in 2014, Rory McIlroy rates 94 overall (grade A-) in the legends pool — an Apex Ball-Striker build headlined by power at S+, the standout of the nine zones on this card.

• Power S+ — top-tier in the legends pool; no one else in the pool rates higher. How far the ball goes off the tee — long hitters shorten every hole.
• At B+, McIlroy's accuracy rating is a mild soft spot (32nd percentile of the legends pool) — 17 of the other 25 players in the pool rate higher. How often the ball finds the fairway and stays out of trouble.
• At S, McIlroy's iron play rating is a clear strength (88th percentile of the legends pool) — only 3 players in the pool rate higher. Precision from the fairway into the green — the single biggest driver of low scores.
• At B+, McIlroy's short game rating is a genuine liability (8th percentile of the legends pool) — nearly the whole pool rates higher. Scrambling around the green — chips, pitches, and bunker shots that save par.
• At A-, McIlroy's putting rating is a genuine liability (24th percentile of the legends pool) — 19 of the other 25 players in the pool rate higher. Holing putts, especially the ones inside ten feet that turn pars into birdies.
• Course IQ A — modestly above average in the legends pool; 12 of the other 25 players in the pool rate higher. Course management and shot selection — playing the smart shot, not just the bold one.
• At A+, McIlroy's nerve rating is modestly above average (56th percentile of the legends pool) — 11 of the other 25 players in the pool rate higher. Composure in contention — how a golfer performs with the tournament on the line.
• Consistency sits at A for McIlroy, on the stronger side of average across the legends pool: 12 of the other 25 players in the pool rate higher. How tightly a golfer's scores cluster around their average, round after round.
• Engine sits at S for McIlroy, comfortably above tour-average across the legends pool: only 3 players in the pool rate higher. Stamina and durability across a long season — fewer withdrawals, less late-year fade.

Apex Ball-Striker. Built around the tee shot and the approach: when power and iron play both sit this high, a lot of holes turn into a wedge and a putt for birdie.

The closest attribute profiles in the legends pool belong to Dustin Johnson (89% similar), Vijay Singh (88% similar) and Arnold Palmer (87% similar) — three builds that would feel familiar to play.

• Dustin Johnson,
• Vijay Singh,
• Arnold Palmer

This profile's course fit lines up best with PGA Championship (Major), THE PLAYERS Championship (Flagship) and Masters Tournament (Major) — the three events on the schedule that reward this exact mix of attributes the most.

• PGA Championship — Major
• THE PLAYERS Championship — Flagship
• Masters Tournament — Major

Legends aren't priced for Salary Cap — Rory McIlroy unlocks wholesale, gold-accented, alongside the rest of the Peak: 2014 pool inside Legends mode, where every build gets the same nine zones and no budget to manage.

2014: Open + PGA + WGC-Bridgestone in a row, BMW PGA, world No.1; had already won two majors by 8 shots (2011 U.S. Open, 2012 PGA) by 25. Power 11 — the towering high draw made him the best driver on earth (led the Tour in strokes gained off the tee, top-3 in distance); wedges and putter merely good — the season before the decade-long major drought. Engine 10: a heavy two-tour schedule at 25 and a gym-built frame that has lasted 17 years at the top; not 11 only because the 2015 ankle and 2017 rib layoffs are on the record and the Snead/Player/Singh longevity bar is not yet met. Ratings on this card are editorial judgment, not official statistics — see the methodology page for how they are derived.

Every rating on this page is a 1–11 editorial judgment, not a live statistic — see how ratings and the season simulation work.