Background
Rory McIlroy was born on May 4, 1989 in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. He is the only child of Rosie McDonald and Gerry McIlroy.
2017
Kingsbarns St. Andrews Fife KY16 8QD, United Kingdom
Gerry McIlory, father of Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, waits to play his third shot on the ninth hole during the third round of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Kingsbarns Golf Links on October 7, 2017 in Kingsbarns, Scotland.
Carnoustie, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his second shot on the fourth hole watched by his caddie Harry Diamond during the second round of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Championship Links at Carnoustie on October 6, 2017 in Carnoustie, Scotland.
2012
Rory McIlroy poses with the Vardon Trophy.
2012
Byron Nelson Award
2012
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland poses with the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year award as part of the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
2014
Rory McIlroy wins the RTE Sports Person of the Year Award.
2017
St. Andrews, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland looks on from the 7th green during day two of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Championship at Carnoustie on October 6, 2017 in St. Andrews, Scotland.
2017
Carnoustie, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his second shot on the second hole during the second round of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Championship Links at Carnoustie on October 6, 2017 in Carnoustie, Scotland.
2017
St. Andrews, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and his dad, Gerry McIlroy, share a joke on the 10th fairway during day two of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Championship at Carnoustie on October 6, 2017 in St. Andrews, Scotland.
2017
Carnoustie, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his tee shot on the first hole during the second round of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Championship Links at Carnoustie on October 6, 2017 in Carnoustie, Scotland.
2017
St. Andrews, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland shares a joke with his caddie during day two of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Championship at Carnoustie on October 6, 2017 in St. Andrews, Scotland.
2017
Carnoustie, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his second shot on the second hole during the second round of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Championship Links at Carnoustie on October 6, 2017 in Carnoustie, Scotland.
2017
St. Andrews, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his second shot on the 11th during day two of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Championship at Carnoustie on October 6, 2017 in St. Andrews, Scotland.
2017
St. Andrews, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland stands with his caddie during day two of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Championship at Carnoustie on October 6, 2017 in St. Andrews, Scotland.
2017
St. Andrews, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland takes a break on the 12th tee during day two of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Championship at Carnoustie on October 6, 2017 in St. Andrews, Scotland.
2017
Kingsbarns St. Andrews Fife KY16 8QD, United Kingdom
Gerry McIlory, father of Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, waits to play his third shot on the ninth hole during the third round of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Kingsbarns Golf Links on October 7, 2017 in Kingsbarns, Scotland.
2017
W Sands Rd, St Andrews KY16 9XL, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his second shot on the 16th during the final round of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Championship at The Old Course on October 8, 2017 in St. Andrews, Scotland.
2017
W Sands Rd, St Andrews KY16 9XL, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland speaks with his caddie during the final round of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Championship at The Old Course on October 8, 2017 in St. Andrews, Scotland.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland watches his shot on the seventh hole during the third round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits a shot on the seventh hole during the third round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits a shot from the trees on the eighth hole during the third round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland stands over his ball on the first tee during the third round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot on the 15th hole during the second round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 5, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot on the 15th hole during the second round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 5, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts to a missed putt on the 18th green during the second round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 5, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the second tee during the third round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland putts on the first green during the third round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 6, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts to his shot from the second tee during the final round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 7, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the first green during the final round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 7, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
2020
2575 Alston Dr SE, Atlanta, GA 30317, United States
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the first green during the final round of the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 7, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Belfast Rd, Holywood BT18 9EP, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy attended Sullivan Upper School.
Carnoustie, United Kingdom
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his second shot on the fourth hole watched by his caddie Harry Diamond during the second round of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Championship Links at Carnoustie on October 6, 2017 in Carnoustie, Scotland.
Rory McIlroy poses with the PGA Tour Player of the Year award.
In 2012, Rory McIlroy was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to sport.
Rory McIlroy was born on May 4, 1989 in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. He is the only child of Rosie McDonald and Gerry McIlroy.
Rory McIlroy attended St. Patrick's Primary School and then Sullivan Upper School.
McIlroy was a child prodigy who was introduced to golf by his father, and once the youngster's golfing aptitude had become apparent, his parents worked multiple jobs and extra shifts to support his training. McIlroy was hitting 40-yard drives with specially sized clubs by the age of two, and by the age of nine he had recorded his first hole in one. He became a member of Holywood Golf Club in Northern Ireland at the age of seven and two years later traveled to Miami, where he won the 1998 Doral Junior Under-10 World Championship.
At the age of 15, McIlroy was a member of Europe's winning 2004 Junior Ryder Cup team. Later, Rory signed a letter of intent to play collegiate golf at East Tennessee State University, but after his wins in 2005, he decided to forgo the golf scholarship. He became the youngest ever winner of both the West of Ireland Championship and the Irish Close Championship. In 2006 Rory retained the West of Ireland Championship and followed that up with back-to-back wins at the Irish Close Championship. He also won the European Amateur at Biella Golf Club with the score of 274. McIlroy made the cut on the European Tour for the first time as a 17-year-old at the 2007 Dubai Desert Classic. At the 2007 Open Championship, held at Carnoustie, McIlroy was awarded The Silver Medal as the leading amateur.
McIlroy turned professional on September 18, 2007 and signed with International Sports Management. At the Quinn Direct British Masters, McIlroy was put in a tie for 42nd place. The next month, he finished in 3rd place at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Later, Rory secured his card for 2008 by finishing in a tie for 4th place at the Open de Madrid Valle Romano.
Rory started his 2008 European Tour season at the UBS Hong Kong Open. He entered the top 200 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time on January 27, 2008. On September 7, 2008, McIlroy took a four-stroke lead into the final round of the Omega European Masters in Crans-sur-Sierre, Switzerland, but finished in a tie for first place with Frenchman Jean-François Lucquin and lost in a play-off.
McIlroy finished the European Tour season in November 2008 with six top-10 placements. He was ranked 79th in the World Golf Ranking.
McIlroy's first European win came at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2009, and his first U.S. victory was in 2010 when he won the Wells Fargo Championship, smashing the course record with a one-round score of 62. At the 2011 Masters Tournament he was outstanding for the first three rounds, but then disaster struck. In his final round his four-shot lead vanished; the 80 he shot that Sunday was the worst round ever recorded by a leader after three rounds at the Masters, leaving him tied for 15th place when the day was over. McIlroy bounced back two months later, capturing his first major with a victory at the U.S. Open by eight shots.
In March 2012, Rory McIlroy first reached No. 1 in the world golf rankings when he won the PGA Tour Honda Classic. Several months later, he collected major title No. 2, winning the 2012 PGA Championship. At the PGA, McIlroy set a new tournament record for margin of victory, winning by eight strokes.
McIlroy closed the 2012 tour season by winning the European Tour's season-ender, the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. He was No. 1 in the world rankings, and led both the PGA Tour and European Tour in earnings.
In 2013 Rory won the Emirates Australian Open. He lost the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, by a single shot, after being hit a two-shot penalty. He also lost out in the Honda Classic. He however won the BMW PGA Championship.
McIlroy also claimed the 2014 Open Championship, making it the third major championship win of his career. He also won the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational which he capped with his PGA Championship in 2014.
In 2015, Mcllroy won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in the European tour. He also won the WGC-Cadillac Match Play, making it his second World Golf Championship. This season campaign suffered a major blow after he injured his left anterior talofibular ligament. He missed the Open Championship as well as the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He made a comeback at the 2015 PGA Championship. He also won the DP World Tour Championship, making it his third Race to Dubai title in four years.
In May 2016, McIlroy claimed his first victory of the year at his home Irish Open. On September 5, he won the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Massachusetts. Rory finished two shots clear of Paul Casey. At the 2016 Tour Championship, McIlroy overcame a two-shot deficit after the third round to force a playoff with Ryan Moore and Kevin Chappell, winning the competition at the fourth playoff hole with a birdie 3 on the par 4 16th. The result put McIlroy at the top of the FedEx Cup.
McIlroy didn't win during 2017, but still had a solid year recording top 10 finishes at the Masters, The Open and 3 WGC events.
McIlroy returned at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January 2018. He finished runner-up to Li Haotong in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. On March 18, 2018, he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a final-round 64. Rory tied for second with a score of six-under-par at the 2018 Open Championship. In September 2018, McIlroy qualified for the European team participating in the 2018 Ryder Cup. Team Europe beat Team U.S.A. 17 1/2 to 10 1/2 at Le Golf National outside of Paris.
In 2019, Rory won three times on the PGA Tour, won the FedEx Cup championship, and claimed the trophy for low season scoring average. On February 9, 2020, McIlroy gained the world number one ranking from Brooks Koepka.
(Season 2)
2018McIlroy grew up Catholic but prefers not to deliver lengthy messages on his faith.
McIlroy has self-identified as Irish, Northern Irish, and British. He carries a British passport. He usually is reluctant to discuss his nationality at length. He never wanted to get political and when golf was brought into the Olympics, he suddenly had to ask questions of himself and his loyalties and who he wanted to piss off the least with his decision. In 2012 Rory expressed an interest in representing Great Britain at the Olympic Games. However, in January 2013 he was considering the options of playing for Britain or Ireland or not playing at all. He said: "I just think being from where we're from, we're placed in a very difficult position. I feel Northern Irish and obviously being from Northern Ireland you have a connection to Ireland and a connection to the United Kingdom. If I could and there was a Northern Irish team I'd play for Northern Ireland. Play for one side or the other - or not play at all because I may upset too many people… Those are my three options I'm considering very carefully". On June 18, 2014, he declared that he would represent Ireland at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games. In 2019 Rory McIlroy declared intention to play for Ireland at the 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.
Rory McIlroy is an Ambassador for UNICEF Ireland. He made his first visit to Haiti with UNICEF in June 2011. In 2014, McIlroy was also announced as an official ambassador for PGA Junior League Golf.
Quotations:
"As an international sportsman, I am very lucky to be supported by people all over the world, many of who treat me as one of their own, no matter what their nationality, or indeed mine. This is the way sport should be."
"The fact is, I've always felt more British than Irish. Maybe it was the way I was brought up, I don't know, but I have always felt more of a connection with the U.K. than with Ireland."
"I've always said the players don't build up rivalries themselves, people from the outside build up the rivalries. I just want to play good golf. I want to try and keep winning golf tournaments."
"I am a proud product of Irish golf and the Golfing Union of Ireland and am hugely honoured to have come from very rich Irish sporting roots... I am also a proud Ulsterman who grew up in Northern Ireland. That is my background and always will be."
"I have always said I will try to answer questions honestly. I don't want to change that about myself. I think people appreciate that about me."
"It is never easy to win but it is a lot easier to win when you play well. The key is winning golf tournaments when you are not playing so well. Managing your game is something that I feel that I am still learning to do."
"On that Sunday of the Masters I remember turning on ESPN to find people talking about me. I switched over to the Golf Channel and people were talking about me. It was hard to escape."
"I want to try to become the best golfer in the world."
"I always got very excited about the Masters as a kid. I could hardly wait until the Wednesday when you'd get the BBC's preview. And I'd then be glued to the screen until Sunday night."
Rory McIlroy is described as impressive, talented, polite and hardworking.
Physical Characteristics: Rory McIlroy is 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) tall and weighs 161 lb (73 kg). He has dark brown hair and dark brown eyes.
McIlroy dated Danish tennis professional Caroline Wozniacki for three years. They became engaged on December 31, 2013. By May 21, 2014, McIlroy had ended the engagement. He started dating a former PGA of America employee, Erica Stoll, in 2015. In December 2015, they became engaged. They married in April 2017 at Ashford Castle in Cong, County Mayo. On August 31, 2020 the couple welcomed their first child - Poppy Kennedy McIlroy.