Ranking Rory McIlroy's 2014 PGA Tour Season Among the Best Ever

Any attempt at ranking Rory McIlroy's 2014 season among the best seasons in golf history leads into the waters of relative value and widely held truisms: Professional golfers are better today than ever, the depth of fields on the PGA Tour is at its most substantial and it is more difficult to win on tour than it ever has been. 

Thus, a breakdown of great seasons is always weighted toward the more recent. 

Beyond that, what matters? Win total and number of major victories. These are the measuring sticks by which we evaluate PGA Tour success. 

With that in mind, on to the ranking.  

Honorable Mentions

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The man in question, Rory McIlroy had a very good season, to be sure. In fact, he earns an honorable mention among the best seasons of all time due to the relative difficulty of professional golf in the modern era. In other words, Rory competed against significantly, significantly better golfers than, say, Bobby Jones did. 

McIlroy won three times in 2014, including the PGA Championship and the British Open. His season ranks just below these other honorable mentions. 

• Johnny Miller 1974: 8 wins
• Lee Trevino 1971: 6, 2 majors (U.S. Open, Open Championship)
• Arnold Palmer 1962: 8 wins, 2 majors (Masters, British Open)
• Ben Hogan 1948: 10 wins, 2 majors (U.S. Open, PGA Championship)

8. Arnold Palmer 1960

The best year of Arnold Palmer’s distinguished professional golf career was 1960.

In that year, the King won the U.S. Open with a historic comeback at Cherry Hills, finished inside the top 10 in the other three majors and won a total of eight events in the 1960 season.

Consistent quality play across all majors, one of the great major victories of all time and a total of eight wins earn Palmer the first spot outside the honorable mentions. 

7. Jack Nicklaus 1972

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Jack Nicklaus popularized the idea of playing fewer tournaments to try and optimize major performance. Thus, he never approached double-digit wins in a single season. So, while he may be the greatest golfer of all time (thanks to his 18 major victories), he is not the owner of many of the greatest seasons in golf history. 

His highest win total—seven—came in 1972. He won both the Masters and the U.S. Open and just missed winning the British Open. He slides ahead of Palmer and Hogan (honorable mentions) because of the relative difficulty of winning on tour in '72 as opposed to '62, '60 or '48. 

6. Ben Hogan 1946

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Ben Hogan won a total of 13 times in 1946. He finished inside the top five in the Masters and U.S. Open in addition to winning the PGA Championship.

Hogan’s 13 wins were the second most in a season on the PGA Tour. It is only the fact that he didn't win more than one major that keeps his ranking in this list from being higher.

Also, as we've belabored, the relative strength of field on the PGA Tour in 1946 is nothing compared to the last couple of decades. 

5. Tiger Woods 2006

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Tiger Woods’ father, Earl, died in 2006. As a result, the then world No. 1 took some time away from golf. When he returned, he did so with a vengeance. 

Although he missed the cut in his return at the U.S. Open, he won both the British Open and the PGA Championship. He won eight of the 15 events he entered, including his final six tournaments in a row.

Eight wins in a season in the modern era, including a ridiculous six in a row, is a rare feat indeed. Add on Woods' two major wins, and it's easy to see why he lands in the fifth spot on this list.

4. Bobby Jones 1930

Bobby Jones' 1930 season was the original “Grand Slam.” However, it's important to remember that the Immortal Bobby was facing off against amateurs in two of his four "Slam" events. 

Jones won the U.S. Open, the British Open, the U.S. Amateur and the British Amateur. Still, going four for four in the most significant tournaments in golf earns Robert Tyre Jones the fourth spot on this list.

As an amateur, it was basically the best that any golfer could do at the time, and Bobby's Slam will never be repeated...ever. 

3. Ben Hogan 1953

It’s no platitude: Ben Hogan overcame more than any golfer on this list to achieve his post-1950 success.

Hogan’s Buick was hit head-on by a Greyhound bus in 1949. The impact shattered his legs and complications from the surgery led to severe circulation issues. Told he would never walk again, Hogan triumphantly returned to capture the 1950 U.S. Open.

In ’53, the Hawk won five of the seven tournaments he entered, including three majors. Excluding all of the extenuating circumstances, Hogan is still the first golfer to win three majors in a season on our list. Thus, he's a shoo-in for the third spot.

2. Tiger Woods 2000

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Fifteen. That’s the number of strokes by which Tiger Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open. He won the British Open (by eight) and the PGA Championship as well during the season.

Woods won a total of nine times in 2000 and finished fifth at the Masters, the only major he didn’t win. Of course, Tiger did win the green jacket in 2001 to complete the “Tiger Slam.”

Why is Tiger No. 2? Just look at the picture above...

1. Byron Nelson 1945

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Byron Nelson’s 1945 season was beyond belief. And while some might argue that the relative absences of Ben Hogan and Sam Snead tarnish his 11 straight wins (and 18 overall), Nelson’s season was the best ever by a tour pro from a numbers standpoint.

In addition to the 18 wins, Nelson finished second seven times. His scoring average was a ridiculous 68.33. Due to the war, only one major was played in 1945, and Nelson won that.

It's the number 11 that gives Nelson the edge over Woods. Eleven wins in a row, even against vastly weaker fields than the ones Woods faced in 2000, earns Lord Byron the top spot.