Rory McIlroy has been one of the PGA Tour’s most consistent performers for over a decade, with fellow pros including Wyndham Clark, Billy Horschel and Shane Lowry praising the Masters champion’s conduct and professionalism on the course
09:52, 11 Apr 2026Updated 10:46, 11 Apr 2026
Rory McIlroy looks set for another Masters victory(Image: Augusta National, Augusta National/Getty Images)
Playing alongside Rory McIlroy is an experience any golf fan would dream of. It’s a privilege many in the sport have cherished ever since the Northern Irishman turned pro in 2007.
Widely regarded as one of the most well-liked golfers on the PGA Tour, the 36-year-old has shared countless battles with his peers. However, that hasn’t stopped them from openly speaking about the pleasure they get from competing beside him.
Fellow professionals have highlighted McIlroy’s mental approach as well as his natural class, with these factors making the defending Masters champion an absolute delight to share the course with. He’s hardly lacking in praise from his fellow pros, with the likes of Wyndham Clark, Billy Horschel, Shane Lowry, and rookie PGA Tour caddie Derek Anderson all singing the praises of the five-time major winner.
So, what do some of the sport’s biggest names think about McIlroy? We’ve taken a look at what a few of them have said about their rival.
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READ MORE: Masters LIVE: Flying Rory McIlroy shatters record as Jordan Spieth forced to apologiseREAD MORE: Rory McIlroy’s rollercoaster love life with tennis icon, Erica Stoll split and scorned exWyndham Clark
Wyndham Clark was paired with McIlroy in the second round of the BMW Championship in August 2024, which Keegan Bradley eventually went on to win. The two golfers had previously played together, and it was following their round that the American revealed the natural rapport between the pair made for a thoroughly enjoyable day out on the course.
“Yeah, I mean, Rory and I have probably played I’d say a total of 14, 15 rounds together,” Clark said. “Rory is a nice guy, and I typically, my demeanour, I like to talk to my playing partners. It helps me get into a better place.
“So I guess if that’s the case, we struck up some good conversations and had some good laughs. It kind of just makes the day a little bit more enjoyable and go by quicker.”
Derek Anderson
Derek Anderson has given his verdict on McIlroy(Image: GOLF’s Subpar podcast)
Former NFL quarterback Derek Anderson had quite the eye-opening experience during his debut as a PGA Tour caddie when he found himself up against the five-time major champion. During the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, which McIlroy claimed alongside Shane Lowry, the 14-year NFL veteran was on the bag for Kevin Chappell and admitted he was left gobsmacked not only by McIlroy’s remarkable skill set but also by the manner in which he carried himself out on the course.
“It’s just different,” Anderson said during his appearance on GOLF’s Subpar podcast. “The sound’s different. Kinda the way he goes about it.
“I kinda was never a huge Rory guy. I’ve always like him and [have been] impressed with his game, but the way that he carries himself, what he’s doing on the golf course; there’s an intent.
“You can see [him thinking], ‘I’m the guy, my bag goes here, I’m gonna whack it,’ and he wants to have some of that Tiger intimidation. But he doesn’t act like it. He’s confident in what he’s doing. Just kinda the way he goes about it, the way he hits it.”
Billy Horschel
Billy Horschel enjoyed a gripping battle with McIlroy at the BMW PGA Championship in 2024, with the American ultimately coming out on top after a play-off. It came during a difficult few months for McIlroy, who also had to settle for second place at the US Open and the Irish Open, yet the heartbreak of falling short on multiple occasions didn’t prevent him from offering his congratulations to his rival.
Billy Horschel has experience playing with McIlroy in high-pressure situations(Image: David Cannon, Getty Images)
“I knew how much getting edged at the US and the Irish this year hurt him,” Horschel told Golf Monthly. “So I could appreciate how he must have felt when my eagle putt went in, just after his own eagle try burned the hole.
“But the way he looked at me and gave me a little smile, and then congratulated me later, meant so much to me. I think that just showed he is one of the classiest golfers of this generation, as well as the most talented.”
Shane Lowry
McIlroy’s close friend Lowry enjoyed a remarkable 2025 that has seen him break into the world’s top 10 rankings for the very first time in his career. He has already brought in more than $1m in earnings in 2026 and made a strong start at this year’s Masters.
The Irishman, who enjoyed two separate seven-figure scores last year, drew inspiration from McIlroy’s unwavering determination to finally clinch the Masters. He paid tribute to his friend’s never-say-die spirit that consistently shines through in competition, adding that adopting that same mindset has already paid dividends.
Shane Lowry is a good friend of McIlroy’s(Image: Megan Briggs/TGL, TGL Golf via Getty Images)
“I just think you need to be persistent,” Lowry said ahead of the final round at the 2025 Truist Championship. “You need to keep putting yourself there, and eventually it will happen.
“You look at Rory at the Masters a few weeks ago. Keep knocking on the door, and eventually you’ll go through it. I feel like I’ve done a good job of it this season, last season.”
J.J. Spaun
American pro Spaun ran McIlroy desperately close at the 2025 Players Championship. It was the Northern Irishman who came out on top after a play-off.
(Image: Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)
Not long after that heartbreak, Spaun faced another play-off in the par-three contest at the 2025 Masters. His recollection of that experience points to McIlroy’s jokey nature.
“[Rory’s] like, ‘Are you doing a playoff for the Par-3 Contest?’,” Spaun recalled with a smile. “I’m like, yeah, I guess. And he’s like, ‘Better get the club right this time.’ That hurt, that hit me deep.
“Shane Lowry was there, he’s like, ‘F****** hell, Rory.’ Granted, it was a little rinky-dink par-3, but doesn’t matter, but it was still a little too soon to hear that. [The wound] was not healed yet.”
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