How Good Is Your Handicap vs a Tour Pro? (And Could You Ever Beat Rory?)

Rory McIlroy vs you, a 20 handicap. Nine holes, stroke play, no strokes given. What are your odds? (Stay for the answer: it's worse than you think.) Using strokes gained statistics, we count exactly how many shots a scratch, 10 and 20 handicap lose to a PGA Tour average, where those shots go (it's not your putter), how often you'd beat Rory in a putting contest, and your real odds over nine holes, modelled on 3,933 holes logged by golfers on strokesgain.com. Track your own strokes gained free: https://strokesgain.com 0:00 Rory vs you 0:22 How far behind are you? 0:54 Where do the shots go? 1:20 Could you beat Rory on the green? 1:43 9 holes against Rory: your odds 2:33 What to practise first Data: handicap-to-strokes-gained table (strokesgain.com); Rory McIlroy 2026 rounds (+1.47 strokes gained per round vs the field, DataGolf); hole-by-hole scores of strokesgain.com users (3,933 holes, 88 players). Illustrations are original drawings; Rory is a cartoon caricature. Narration is an AI voice.