NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. -- Jon Rahm has a deep appreciation for golf history, and in his view, Rory McIlroy has already secured his place as the greatest European golfer of all time.
Rahm's high praise for McIlroy
Speaking after his first round at the PGA Championship, Rahm highlighted McIlroy's achievements. "Second on the all-time list of majors in Europe. First one ever to do the grand slam," Rahm said. "I would put him as the greatest European to ever play already."
McIlroy's career grand slam, completed with a victory at the Masters in April, has reignited discussions about where he ranks among the game's legends. Rahm believes the conversation is warranted.
"When it comes to the grand scheme of things, he's up there," Rahm added. "And I can see why he thinks about it, because he can take this within the context, he's not too far away from being an undoubtedly top-10 player of all time. Which I'm sure a lot of people would already put him there, and he still has many, many years to play."
More wins to come?
Rahm noted that McIlroy's fitness and age give him ample opportunity to add to his legacy. "Thinking that Jack (Nicklaus) won when he was 46 and Phil (Mickelson) winning in his 50s. So at least 10 or 15 years, with how good a shape he's in, to accomplish a lot," Rahm said.
Rahm's own legacy
When asked about his own place in history, with a Masters and U.S. Open win, Rahm was humble. "I think I need to accomplish a lot more to even think about it," he said. "The best way I can say it is I hope I can put myself in a situation where I can dream of thinking about where my career is at all time. Do I think about it actively? No, not really."
"I think there's a lot of people with my resume. I need to do a lot more to give myself the luxury to think where I'm maybe at in the history of the game."
Rahm birdied his final two holes on Thursday to shoot a one-under 69 at Aronimink Golf Club.
