Childhood & Early Life
Rory Mcllroy was born on May 4, 1989, in Holywood, Northern Ireland. He is the only child of his parents, Gerry and Rosie Mcllroy. He attended the ‘St. Patrick’s Primary School’ for his early education, and later the ‘Sullivan Upper School’ for higher studies.
Mcllroy was introduced to golf at a very young age, by his father, who was also a professional golfer. He showed his talent by hitting a 40-yard drive at the age of two. He joined the ‘Holywood Golf Club,’ at the age of seven. Mcllroy hit his first hole in one, at the age of nine. He started training with Michael Bannon, who is his mentor to this date. His parents worked extra jobs, to fund for their son’s golf training.
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Career
Competing in the 9-10 age group, Rory Mcllroy won his first international event at the ‘World Championship’ in Florida. In 2004, at the age of 15, Mcllroy was a part of the Europe team that won the ‘Junior Ryder Cup.’ In 2005, he became the youngest winner of the ‘West of Ireland Championship.’ In the same year, Mcllroy made his first appearance at a ‘European Tour’ event, by participating in the ‘British Masters.’
In 2006, Mcllroy represented Ireland in the ‘Eisenhower Trophy.’ In 2007, he topped the ‘World Amateur Golf Ranking.’ He was a part of the ‘Great Britain & Ireland’ team, at the 2007 ‘Walker Cup.’
In September 2007, Mcllroy turned professional. He signed with the ‘International Sports Management.’ In 2008, he played in the ‘European Tour’ season, and found place in the top 200, of the ‘Official World Golf Ranking.’ He finished the season with six top ten placements, and 79th world ranking.
In 2009, Rory Mcllroy participated in the ‘Masters Tournament.’ He finished the tournament, tied at the 20th position. He registered his first win as a professional at the ‘Dubai Desert Classic.’ After this win, Mcllroy shot up to the 16th position in the world rankings. He participated in two major championships - the ‘U.S. Open,’ and the ‘PGA Championship,’ in the same year. Mcllroy finished the 2009 season, with a 9th world ranking.
In 2010, Mcllroy finished at the 3rd position, at the ‘Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.’ He recorded his first ‘PGA Tour’ win in the same year, at the ‘Quail Hollow Championship.’ Mcllroy became the second player after Tiger Woods to win a ‘PGA’ event, before his 21st birthday. Mcllroy missed the chance to win the 2010 ‘PGA Championship,’ by a narrow margin. He finished tied for the 3rd position.
In 2011, Mcllroy gave a dismal performance at the final round of the ‘Masters Tournament.’ Later, he bounced back, and performed exceptionally well, in the ‘U.S. Open.’ Mcllroy became the first player in the history of the tournament, to score a ’13-under-par.’
In 2012, Rory Mcllroy won the ‘Honda Classic’ tournament, and claimed the number one spot in the world rankings. Later, he lost the title to Luke Donald, when Donald won the ‘Transitions Championship.’ In the same year, Mcllroy won the ‘PGA Championship,’ and the ‘BMW Championship.’ In 2013, Mcllroy failed to perform up to expectations in many tournaments.
In 2014, Mcllroy won the ‘BMW PGA Championship.’ He won the 2014 ‘Open Championship’ too. In 2015, Mcllroy won the ‘Omega Dubai Desert Classic.’ He finished at the 4th position in the 2015 ‘Masters Tournament.’ During the season, Mcllroy injured his ligaments, and withdrew from many events.
In 2016, Mcllroy failed to give a good performance in the final round of the ‘WGC-Cadillac Championship.’ He recorded his first victory of the year at the ‘Irish Open.’ He won the ‘Tour Championship,’ in the ‘PGA Tour’ season. In 2017, Mcllroy suffered from several injuries, which affected his performance. In 2018, Mcllroy finished runners-up in the ‘European Tour.’ He finished runners-up at the ‘Omega Dubai Desert Classic’ too.
Rory Mcllroy was awarded the title of ‘PGA Player of the Year,’ in 2012. He was also awarded the ‘RTE Sportsperson of the Year,’ in 2011, and 2012. He was honored with the ‘MBE,’ in 2012.
Personal Life
Mcllroy was engaged to tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, from 2011 to 2014. Later, he broke off the engagement. Rory Mcllroy married Erica Stoll, an employee of the PGA, in April, 2017.
Mcllroy is an Ambassador for the UNICEF Ireland. He is a football fan too, and roots for the ‘Manchester United.’ According to the ‘Forbes’ list, Mcllroy was the sixth highest paid sportsman of 2017.
Mcllroy has had his share of controversies too. In 2009, he was criticized for calling the ‘Ryder Cup,’ an exhibition. In 2015, at the ‘WGC-Cadillac Championship’ Mcllroy threw a club into water in a fit of anger. This action invited criticism, and he apologized later.
