Rory McIlroy

When Rory McIlroy eventually hangs up his clubs and calls time on his career as a professional golfer, he will leave an astonishing legacy. From his early promise shown at Port Royal as an amateur to the momentous, legacy-defining Grand Slam-winning moment at the 2025 Masters, Rory McIlroy’s presence at the top of his sport cannot be ignored.

A talent on the tee, a great on the greens, and a true, vocal lover of the sport and its heritage, Rory McIlroy has been everywhere and done it all. Here, Tonybet takes a look at the career of one of the greatest players to hit the fairways.

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Early life and amateur success

All great stories have humble beginnings, and that of Rory McIlroy’s is no different. Born and raised in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, as the story goes, McIlroy first picked up the golf clubs at the age of two.

Those clubs, a plastic set of toy ones from his father Gerry, certainly had a big impact on Rory and set him on a remarkable trajectory. Golf was already deeply set in the McIlroy family’s blood, as Gerry was a keen scratch golfer, and Rory’s grandfather Jimmy was also an outstanding amateur player.

Early stories

There are many stories about McIlroy’s golf exploits at a very young age, such as how he would impress his father by cracking off remarkable 40-yard drives at the Holywood Golf Club at the tender age of three before becoming the youngest ever member there at the age of seven.

Another of the great stories from McIlroy’s childhood highlights his devotion to golf, as he would allegedly go to sleep clutching his clubs to force muscle memory of the interlocking grip.

Early TV appearance

There’s another well-worn story that Rory would use an old washing machine for target practice, chipping balls into its open door. There’s actually old footage from 1999 of McIlroy doing this very thing on the TV show Kelly (broadcast on UTV), which can be found on YouTube, where he also shows some keepy-up skills as an eight-year-old. But why would an eight-year-old McIlroy be granted a spot on TV? It’s because he had claimed a major honour by winning the Under-10 World Championship in Florida.

Betting big

Golf betting is popular, and the coverage at Tonybet ranges from future predictions on the winner of the majors, to pre-tournament Top 5, Top 10 and Round Leader options, plus in-play betting on the individual rounds.

However, nothing screams faith in your offspring’s talent like placing a huge bet on their future. This is exactly what Gerry McIlroy did in 2004, as he was given 500/1 odds on Rory winning The Open Championship before he turned 26. Rory, at the time, was just 15.

“Watching Tiger Woods in 1997, and then winning his first Green Jacket, I think that inspired so many of my generation to want to emulate what he did.” – Rory McIlroy

Turning professional

The trajectory of Rory McIlroy turning professional accelerated around that time. A few months after Gerry’s bet was placed, Rory claimed the West of Ireland Championship and the Irish Close Championship, becoming the youngest-ever winner of both of those events, titles he successfully defended the following year.

Then, one of his most iconic and famous amateur moments happened at Royal Portrush in 2005 when he set a new course record in a qualifying round of the North of Ireland Championship. As a 16-year-old, Rory McIlroy recorded a bogey-free 61 there, scoring either a birdie or an eagle in seven of the back nine holes on the Dunluce course, fully cementing him as a teenage prodigy.

First open appearance

In 2007, McIlroy entered The Open Championship for the first time and posted a bogey-free opening round. At the end of the tournament, he won the silver medal for the lowest-scoring amateur in the event, admirably finishing tied for 42^nd overall.

It was in September 2007 that Rory McIlroy turned professional and made his debut at the British Masters on his next start. He then claimed a third-place finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and just a week later he had done enough to secure his European Tour card for the following year.

In doing so, McIlroy became the youngest ever player to earn the Tour card, aged just 17. By January 2008, McIlroy had already cracked the top 200 on the Official World Golf Ranking and was inside the top 50 by the end of the year.

McIlroy’s notable non-major tournament victories

• Quail Hollow Championship
• The Honda Classic
• Deutsche Bank Championship
• BMW Championship
• The Players Championship
• Wells Fargo Championship
• Tour Championship
• WGC-HSBC Championship
• BMW PGA Championship
• Omega European Masters

Major professional wins

McIlroy’s playing career has been hugely successful, but his first success as a professional came in February 2009 at the Dubai Desert Classic. If he hadn’t had that early breakthrough success as a pro, would his journey to the top have been the same? Did that win in Dubai ease pressure of expectation off his shoulders, allowing him to develop into the great pro he became?

A major breakthrough

In June 2011, he rolled up at the US Open at Bethesda, Maryland and produced an astonishing weekend of golf to claim his first major. As he powered his way to a remarkable eight-stroke victory over Jason Day, McIlroy set 11 US Open records, including the lowest total under par (-16). His score of 268 was also the lowest for a 72-hole US Open tournament.

McIlroy’s major wins

The journey to the Grand Slam

The second major success for McIlroy was in August 2012, when he carded four sub-70 rounds to claim the PGA Championship, also by a margin of eight strokes, this time from England’s David Lynn.

Remember that bet Gerry McIlroy had placed on his son Rory to claim The Open Championship by his 26^th birthday? Time was running out on the wager, as Rory McIlroy entered the 2014 Open Championship at Hoylake as a 25-year-old.

McIlroy started the final round six strokes clear, so the pressure was all on his shoulders to defend it. It got a little squeaky at times, as he carded a 71 on Sunday, with Sergio García breathing down his neck, closing the gap to just two shots on three occasions. However, McIlroy held on and Gerry was able to cash in on his bet after a long 10 years.

Making history

McIlroy’s 2014 Open Championship victory also moved him to within one title of joining a very elite club of golf’s Grand Slam winners. All he needed was to add the Masters, a title he had looked like winning in 2011 when he held a four-shot lead going into the final day. However, a horrendous collapse saw him leave Augusta National a haunted figure.

McIlroy showed resilience and toughness back at the venue in 2025. Because of a poor start on Sunday in a battle with Bryson DeChambeau, McIlroy had given up his spot at the top of the leaderboard after just two holes. However, with six holes to go, McIlroy had turned the tables, retaking a three-shot lead, though England’s Justin Rose was coming for him.

Another Augusta wobble came for McIlroy when he found himself in a playoff for the 2025 Masters title against Rose. This time, there was a happy ending as McIlroy won it on the first playoff hole, ending his 11-year barren streak in golf’s majors as he became just the sixth player and the first European to complete the Grand Slam.

The magnificent six

Ryder Cup and team competitions

McIlroy’s solo career has made all the headlines, but he has also proven himself to be a great team player. He participated in numerous team events as an amateur, representing either Ireland, Europe or Great Britain & Ireland.

His first appearance in the famous Ryder Cup, the biannual duel between Europe and the USA, was in 2010. He scored two points on his debut to help the team claim victory. He then returned three points in each of the next three appearances, including the 2012 Miracle at Medinah, where Europe produced an astonishing comeback on the final day to overturn a 10-6 deficit.

McIlroy’s highest tally of points came in the 2023 Ryder Cup, as Europe again claimed victory, leaving him with five team victories in seven appearances. While the Ryder Cup is the pinnacle of golf’s team events, McIlroy has also played in the Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland) and the World Cup (representing Ireland).

Playing style and impact on the sport

Rory McIlroy has made a career out of big drives off the tee, which at many venues has its advantages. His power is generated by a great clubhead speed, achieved through a balanced and smooth swing. McIlroy doesn’t sacrifice accuracy for distance, however, and this is a big feature of his effortless style.

However, even with the irons, McIlroy is the sort of player who will push boundaries – for instance, his astonishing approach to hole 15 at this year’s Masters, where he hooked a 7-iron around some trees while he was struggling on a run of 4-over par on his last four holes. The bold, outrageous shot was the defining one of McIlroy’s Masters victory, and it also summed up his career, which is one of defiance, bravery and innovation.

“I’ve always said he is the most talented player in the world today. He has the best swing by a mile.” – Gary Player

McIlroy also possesses strong leadership qualities, which come from his candour and thoughtful answers in the press conference. McIlroy, once a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board, carries an air of authenticity and belief in his values, and he was instrumental in forming the Player Impact Programme. He was also a vocal opponent of LIV Golf’s model with strong advocacy for the PGA Tour, often being a conduit between the two.

McIlroy has also been named the RTÉ Sports Person of the Year two times (2011 and 2014), climbed to the world rankings more than once (including a total of 95 weeks between 2012 and 2015), and won the Players Championship twice, the Tour Championship, the DP World Tour Championship – and the list of big successes goes on and on.

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