Who is Rory McIlroy?

One of the greatest golfers of all time, Rory McIlroy, was introduced to the sport by his father at a very young age. He was close to joining a college in the US for golf but later opted against it and chose to play amateur golf in Europe. From several major wins to being No. 1 in the world, McIlroy has nabbed multiple achievements in the world. Let’s dive in to find out more!

Rory McIlroy's early life

Rory Daniel McIlroy was born on May 4, 1989, to Rosie McDonald and Gerry McIlroy. He hails from Holywood, Northern Ireland, near Belfast, and grew up playing the game at Holywood Golf Club. His father, Gerry, was a scratch handicapper himself and evoked a love for the game in his son. McIlroy also named his first dog after legend Ernie Els, referring to it as Theo (Els’ first name).

Rory McIlroy’s first coach was Michael Bannon, who continues to work with the player to this date. At the age of nine, he lifted the under-10s World Championship at Doral in Miami. He reportedly made his first hole-in-one at the age of nine.

 Rory McIlroy’s wife and children

McIlroy is married to Erica Stoll, who worked with the PGA earlier. They started dating in 2015 and got engaged later that year. Then in 2017, the couple tied the knot at Ashford Castle in Cong, County Mayo. His wife gave birth to their daughter, Poppy Kennedy McIlroy, in September 2020.

Rory McIlroy’s net worth 2024

Rory McIlroy reportedly has a net worth of $170 million. The Northern Irish golfer sits in the second position on the PGA Tour career earnings list. He is among the four players who have surpassed the $75 million mark and currently stands at $80,095,557. The only player ahead is Tiger Woods

Rory McIlroy's professional career

In 2007, McIlroy became the first player in history to earn a European Tour card, doing so in just two starts. On September 7, 2008, he entered the top 200 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time. He finished the 2008 European Tour season with six top-10 finishes and ranked 79th in the World Golf Ranking.

In November 2009, the golfer announced that he would be joining the American-based PGA Tour for the 2010 season. With his maiden PGA Tour win in 2010, McIlroy not only set a course record but also became the first player since Tiger Woods to win a PGA Tour event prior to his 21st birthday.

After winning the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens in March of 2012, McIlroy became World No. 1 for the first time. Later, in 2019, he became the youngest player to spend 500 weeks inside the top 10, breaking Tiger Woods’ previous record by four months. So far in his career, the Irish player has won 24 PGA Tour and 17 European Tour trophies. McIlroy has four Major Championship wins in his kitty. Rory McIlroy has played in the Ryder Cup seven times, out of which Team Europe won in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2023.

Rory McIlroy's amateur career

At age 15, Rory McIlroy played for the Irish team at the 2004 European Boys’ Team Championship. He was also a part of Europe’s 2004 Junior Ryder Cup Team, which won against the United States in Ohio. In 2005, he became the youngest-ever winner of the West of Ireland Championship and the Irish Close Championship.

McIlroy’s first appearance on the European Tour came at the 2005 British Masters, just a few days after he turned 16. He made the cut on the Tour for the first time at age 17 in the 2007 Dubai Desert Classic. At age 17, he was the number-one-ranked amateur for a week.

Rory McIlroy's major achievements

McIlroy’s first major win came at the 2011 US Open. The victory came with multiple records, with his 72-hole aggregate score of 268 (16-under) being the most notable of them. The following year, he won the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, by a margin of eight strokes!

On July 20, 2014, he emerged as the winner at the Open Championship by two strokes over Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia. A then-25-year-old McIlroy became the third-fastest player to complete three legs of the grand slam.

In 2014, he collected his fourth major by winning the PGA Championship at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. He is one of three players in the world to win four majors by the age of 25, along with Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.

Rory McIlroy's partnerships and endorsements

In 2013, Sportspro ranked the golfer as the third-most marketable athlete in the world, behind Neymar and Lionel Messi. In January of that year, he signed a huge deal with Nike. Later in 2017, the golfer signed a 10-year, $200 million contract extension with the mega-brand only for apparel as the company exited the golf equipment business.

He then signed a 10-year, $100 million equipment deal with TaylorMade for their clubs, balls, and bags. McIlroy has also been endorsed by watchmakers Omega, who launched a special edition Speedmaster 57 dedicated to his success. He is also associated with UnitedHealth Group and Upper Deck. McIlroy set his sights on another sport and became an investor in the Alpine F1 team.

 Rory McIlroy’s career stats

The Northern Irishman became a pro in 2007 and joined the PGA Tour in 2010. He has played in 239 PGA Tour events and secured 24 wins on the American circuit. Out of the 239 events in which McIlroy participated, he impressively made the cut for 209 of the events. The World No. 2 has also been the runner-up 10 times and has an equal number of third-place finishes. Looking at his top 5 finishes, the number comes up to 73 and McIlroy has 118 top 10 finishes.

The 34-year-old has also been crowned the FedEx Champion three times, in 2016, 2019 and 2022, respectively. Apart from his heroics on the American circuit, McIlroy has also collected quite a few wins and accolades, some on his home turf, such as the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai in 2015, and the most recent win came at the 2024 Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Rory McIlroy's foundation and charity

McIlroy set up The Rory Foundation in 2013, which was aimed at helping vulnerable and underprivileged children primarily. He cited his parents as his inspiration while setting up the foundation. It has also been the official host of the Irish Open since 2015.

After six years of operation, the foundation shut down in 2019. It was revealed that McIlroy was adopting a “private philanthropic policy” moving forward.

He often plays in charity golf tournaments to raise money, the most recent one being in May 2020, where he and Dustin Johnson raised more than $5 million for COVID-19 relief funds

Rory McIlroy’s social media accounts