Rory McIlroy content with career success, whereas Justin Thomas strives for more achievements

Rory McIlroy answered questions to the press on Tuesday from Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. McIlroy shared opinions about his own career, which the press immediately compared to similar statements made by Justin Thomas two weeks ago, as noted by renowned reporter Dan Rappaport.

The media contrasted his statements with those of Justin Thomas because of their different approaches, despite the fact that the two golfers are separated in age by only four years.

Both Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas are in Rochester for the PGA Championship starting on Thursday. From there, McIlroy explained he feels good about his career so far:

"If I don't win another tournament for the rest of my career, I still see my career as a success. I still stand up here as a successful person in my eyes," McIlroy said, according Dan Rappaport.

This is what Justin Thomas said, according to Irish Golfer:

"I’m not where I feel like I should or want to be. My goal a couple years ago, I wanted to be at 20 wins by the time I turned 30. Obviously I’m not there, but there’s a lot of people and myself, or I also believe in myself that my best is yet to come and I feel like there’s a lot of great things ahead of me."

"So there’s no reason to look at it, looking backward doesn’t do me any good. I’m just trying to look forward and look at the things that I can continue to improve and keep working on the things that I feel like I’m doing well, because you never know," he added.

Both Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas arrive at the PGA Championship with great aspirations. The former will try to break a drought of almost nine years without winning a major tournament, and the latter will try to retain his crown as defending champion.

Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas on the PGA Tour

Both Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas have had very successful careers in world golf, and are currently two of the biggest stars in the sport.

The Northern Irish golfer has won 23 tournaments on the PGA Tour, four of them were golf majors. He has won the PGA Championship twice, most recently in 2014.

Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas at The Genesis Invitational, 2023. (Image via Getty).

In addition, nine runner-ups, nine third places, and 108 Top-10 finishes. In 228 tournaments played on the PGA Tour, he has missed the cut in only 30. His career on the DP World Tour (formerly called European Tour) is equally impressive.

It is true that he has not won a major for almost a decade, but beyond that fact, Rory McIlroy can be painted as one of the best golfers of this century.

Justin Thomas, on the other hand, did not reach 20 victories on the PGA Tour by his 30s, one of his goals in the sport, as he himself has stated. This in no way detracts from his career, however, which has been very relevant.

With less than 10 years as a professional and less than eight years as a member of the PGA Tour, Thomas already archives 15 victories, with six runner up, 73 Top 10 finishes, and 174 cuts made in 210 tournaments played.

His best season was 2016-17, when he won five tournaments, including the corresponding edition of the PGA Championship, which he then repeated in 2022.