Rory McIlroy hailed as the "best of our generation" by European Ryder Cup Star

Tommy Fleetwood has praised Rory McIlroy and called him the "best of our generation." The Englishman talked about his European Ryder Cup co-star's consistency, longevity, and talent. The duo were part of the 2023 Ryder Cup winning squad together.

Fleetwood and McIlroy are currently competing at the Players Championship 2025 at TPC Sawgrass. After scoring a 5-under in the first round, McIlroy scored a 4-under 68 in the second round, aggregating 9-under after two rounds. He's currently tied for fourth with Collin Morikawa and Alex Smalley.

Meanwhile, after an average round of 71 on the first day, Fleetwood scored a 6-under 66 and is tied for ninth. In the post-round press conference, he was asked about his impression of Rory McIlroy for consistency. He said (via ASAP Sports):

"I've always said it, I think for me definitely at the moment the amount, the length of time that he's been up there, I feel like Rory is the best of our generation, and I've always felt that, definitely talent-wise, and he's won a lot."

Fleetwood underlined how difficult it is to stay among the world’s best for years.

"I think longevity plays a big part in that as well. I think he's been injury-free for the majority of his career, and he's been one of if not the best player in the world for a very long time. I think it should never be underestimated how hard that is to do, just continually be there," he added.

Fleetwood stated that he has a lot of respect and admiration for McIlroy's game and believes McIlroy is far from finished and will remain a contender for years to come.

Rory McIlroy will tee off with J.J. Spaun in the third round, while Tommy Fleetwood will tee alongside Jake Knapp at the Players Championship 2025.

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A look at Rory McIlroy's record on the PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy has a terrific record on the PGA Tour. He turned professional in 2007 and joined the PGA Tour in 2010. He has been a FedEx Cup winner thrice and has won four majors. His official earnings on the PGA Tour are $95,209,062.

Since then, he has competed in 259 tournaments and made the cut in 228 of them. In 259 starts, he has had 27 wins, 80 top-5 finishes and 126 top-10 finishes. His maiden win came at the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship, whereas his last win came at the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Let's take a look at Rory McIlroy's 27 wins on the PGA Tour:

• 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
• 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
• 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans
• 2023 Genesis Scottish Open
• 2022 THE CJ CUP in South Carolina
• 2022 TOUR Championship
• 2022 RBC Canadian Open
• 2021 THE CJ CUP
• 2021 Wells Fargo Championship
• 2019 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions
• 2019 TOUR Championship
• 2019 RBC Canadian Open
• 2019 THE PLAYERS Championship
• 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard
• 2016 TOUR Championship
• 2016 Deutsche Bank Championship
• 2015 Wells Fargo Championship
• 2015 World Golf Championships-Cadillac Match Play
• 2014 PGA Championship
• 2014 World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational
• 2014 The Open Championship
• 2012 BMW Championship
• 2012 Deutsche Bank Championship
• 2012 PGA Championship
• 2012 The Honda Classic
• 2011 U.S. Open
• 2010 Quail Hollow Championship