Mind The Gap - McIlroy Nearing Longest Break In Between Major Wins

It’s nine years and counting for Rory McIlroy, who will take his Major drought to a decade if he fails to win the Open at Royal Liverpool, edging him towards the biggest gap in-between victories if he is to go and add a fifth to his collection.

As it stands, 11 years is the biggest gap between Major wins in men’s golf, so McIlroy could be left needing to create history in adding a fifth that everyone thought would come so easy to him.

The Northern Irishman was head and shoulders above the rest when he won back-to-back Majors in 2014, clinching the PGA Championship shortly after lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool.

However, despite enviable consistency in the Majors and a few close calls of late, the 34-year-old has not managed to add to his haul – and despite all his other titles and awards if that remains the case it will be a below-par tally considering his talent.

He has been getting closer with top eight finishes in all four Majors last year – including just being pipped by Cameron Smith in the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.

McIlroy came up just short at the US Open last month when again he received some criticism for not being aggressive enough when holding the lead in the final round, and that may be something he changes if he finds himself in contention again at Hoylake as he looks to end his long wait just before the decade mark.

What's happened in majors since McIlroy's last win?

There have been 34 Majors held since Rory McIlroy won the 2014 PGA Championship, with the four-time champion finishing in the top 10 in 19 of them.

The golfing landscape has changed and some top players have emerged onto the scene since then - none more so than Major specialist Brooks Koepka who has won five of them to eclipse McIlroy.

Koepka won four times in just eight Majors, also beating McIlroy who had looked dominant when winning his four in 15 events - with the American adding a fifth at this year's PGA Championship.

Jordan Spieth should have added a few more during his superb spell, while Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and even Collin Morikawa have all won multiple Majors during the last nine years.

Eighteen different players have won a Major and what the likes of Wyndham Clark's US Open success showed is that even unheralded players aren't scared of going all the way when they get a sniff of a title.

What are the biggest gaps between major wins?

What might give McIlroy some hope is that a 50-year-old Phil Mickelson managed to add a sixth Major after a significant gap - albeit just eight years - but there aren't too many examples of players coming back to win a Major after much longer.

Ernie Els won the 2012 Open 10 years after previously lifting the Claret Jug, while Lee Trevino won the PGA Championship in both 1974 and 1984.

McIlroy's great friend Tiger Woods won that memorable 2019 Masters, his 15th Major, almost 11 years after winning the 2008 US Open on one leg.

Four players managed to win Majors again after an 11-year wait though, with Ben Crenshaw winning his two Masters titles in 1984 and 1995, while Hale Irwin won his final US Open in 1990 after picking up his second in 1979.

Henry Cotton won the 1937 and 1948 Open Championships and Julius Boros had that 11-year wait between his 1952 and 1963 US Open titles.

Longest waits between Major wins 

• Henry Cotton 1937-1948 Open Championship
• Julius Boros 1952-1963 US Open
• Hale Irwin 1979-1990 US Open
• Ben Crenshaw 1984-1995 Masters
• Tiger Woods 2008 US Open-2019 Masters
• Lee Trevino 1974-1984 PGA Championship
• Ernie Els 2002-2012 Open Championship
• Willie Park Sr. 1866-1875 Open Championship
• John Henry Taylor 1900-1909 Open Championship
• Gene Sarazen 1923 PGA Championship-1932 US Open
• Phil Mickelson 2013 Open–2021 PGA Championship