Signature of the month
Some of golf’s most compelling figures are not featured in “The Major Quest”. Some of them have never actually won a major. And they don’t need a major trophy to be considered a legend of the game. They built their legacies on longevity, consistency, grit, and moments that fans still talk about today.
The Signature of the Month shines a light on players who deserve recognition for their achievements and contribution to the game. We are highlighting the well-established names as well as the rising stars. Here, I share the stories behind my encounters with these players, explore their place in golf’s history or future, and describe what it was like to add their signature to the collection.
We’re starting the Signature of the Month series with a bit of an exception. Rory is already featured five times in The Major Quest, but I decided to make him the first Signature of the Month for a very simple reason: his was the first signature from a professional golfer I ever collected.
It was at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, probably in 2018. I was standing near the putting green when Rory walked past and started signing a few autographs. Somehow, almost by luck, he ended up standing right in front of me. The only problem was that I had nothing for him to sign. I had bought a cap that morning and was wearing it, with no intention of getting it signed by anyone, so I simply took it off and handed it to him. Rory signed it and carried on. “That was easy,” I thought. Almost immediately, I started wondering how many more signatures I could collect.
At that point, I obviously had no idea where it would lead to. But that simple moment, standing next to the putting green in Dubai with a signed cap from Rory in my hands, was the start of my signature collection.
January 2026 – Rory McIlroy
