Rory McIlroy Player Profile And What's In The Bag
By: Derek Clements | Mon 24 Oct 2022
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Article Updated in April 2025
He finally did it! In what was surely the most dramatic final round ever witnessed at Augusta National, Rory McIlroy won The Masters and with it became only the sixth golfer in history to achieve the career grand slam.
He needed a sudden-death playoff to see off England’s Justin Rose after missing a five-foot putt in regulation play but somehow managed to summon up the energy to produce a stunning approach and hole a three-foot putt to join the game’s elite players. And as the ball disappeared into the hole it all proved to be too much for McIlroy, who collapsed in a heap on the 18th green, crying uncontrollably.
What a ride it was.
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"This was 14 years in the making," said McIlroy in reference to the 2011 Masters, when he lost a four-shot lead in the final round. "What are we going to talk about now when we come here?
"You have to be the eternal optimist in this game. I have been saying it until I am blue in the face but I truly believe I am a better player now than 10 year ago. It is so hard to stay patient, keep coming back and not being able to get it done.
"There were points on the back nine where I thought, 'have I let this slip again?' but I responded and am really proud of myself. It has been an emotional week so I am thrilled to be last man standing. It's my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time.
"I'm just absolutely honoured and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion."
McIlroy had missed his six-foot putt for par, a bogey which dropped him back to 11 under, where he joined Rose - leading to a dramatic playoff between the two.
Only five other golfers have been able to complete a career Grand Slam - Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
McIlroy is a two-time winner of the PGA Championship, claiming the prize in 2012 and 2014.
The 35-year-old also won his first major title, the US Open, in 2011, and won the Open Championship in 2014.
McIlroy recovered from losing his overnight two-shot advantage with an opening-hole double bogey to initially take control only to blow a four-shot lead over his closing six holes.
The world number two bogeyed the last to close on a one-over 73 and slip back to 11 under alongside Rose, who overturned a seven-stroke deficit and posted a stunning final-round 66 to force a playoff.
Player Profile
McIlroy was born in Holywood, Northern Ireland on May 4, 1989. He turned professional at the age of 17 and wasted little time making his mark on the game. In 2011, at the age of 22, he became the youngest player to reach €10 million in career earnings on the European Tour. The following year he became the youngest player to reach $10 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour.
He won three times in 2023 - the CJ Cup, the Dubai Desert Classic and the Scottish Open. His victory in Dubai was his fourth at the Dubai Desert Classic. His first professional victory came at the same tournament in 2009 when he was just 19 years old.
He has won 26 times on the PGA Tour and 17 times on the DP World Tour. Apart from his four major wins, he has finished in the top 10 in majors on 26 occasions, including a runner-up finish at the 2023 US Open, where he finished one shot behind Wyndham Clark.
He finished top of the pile in the FedEx Cup in 2021-22, winning three times and pocketing $8,654,566 in prize money on the PGA Tour alone.
His best year on the PGA Tour came in 2012, when he won four times.
In 2024 he has won four times - the Dubai Desert Classic, the Zurich Classic alongside Shane Lowry, the Wells Fargo and the DP World Tour Championship. But there have also been some heartbreaking near-misses - he threw away the US Open, and finished second at both the Irish Open and BMW PGA Championship.
In 2017, Forbes reported that McIlroy was the joint sixth highest-paid sportsperson, having earned $50 million, of which $34 million came from endorsements.
He has won 29 times on the PGA Tour and 18 times on the DP World Tour. Apart from his five major wins, he has finished in the top 10 in majors on 27 occasions, including a runner-up finish at the 2023 US Open, where he finished one shot behind Wyndham Clark. And 12 months later the same thing happened again, this time missing out to Bryson DeChambeau.
After waiting for 11 years to do so, his victory at Augusta means he has achieved the career grand slam, winning all four majors. The only other golfers to have achieved this feat are Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
In 263 starts on the PGA Tour he has made the cut 232 times. Apart from his 29 wins, he has finished second 11 times and third on a further 11 occasions. He has pocketed more than $103m in prize money on the PGA Tour, second only to Tiger Woods. He has won the FedEx Cup three times. He has already earned more than $12m in prize money in 2025 - before the end of April!
On the DP World Tour he has started 252 tournaments, made 210 cuts and apart from his 18 victories has 27 runner-up finishes and nearly €60m in prize money.
He is a seven-time Ryder Cup player, finishing on the winning side on five occasions.
He is married to Erica Stoll, whom he met at the 2012 Ryder Cup, and they have a daughter, Poppy.
Last 10 Events
Masters Tournament - 1st
Texas Children's Houston Open - T5th
The Players Championship - 1st
Arnold Palmer Invitational - T15th
The Genesis Invitational - T17th
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am - 1st
Hero Dubai Desert Classic - T4th
DP World Tour Championship - 1st
Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship - T3rd
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship - T25th
Key Stats
Driving Distance - 315.00 Yards
Driving Accuracy - 50.89%
Greens in Regulation - 65.53%
Sand Saves - 57.14%
Putts Per Round - 27.81
Scoring Average - 69.71
End of Year World Ranking Position
2019: 2
2020: 4
2021: 9
2022: 1
2023: 2
2024: 3
What's In The Bag
TaylorMade Qi10 9.0° Driver (Ventus Black 6-X)
TaylorMade Qi10 15.0° 3-Wood (Ventus Black 8-X)
TaylorMade Qi10 19.0° 5-Wood (Ventus Black 9-X)
TaylorMade P·760 4-Iron, Rors Proto 5-9 (Project X 7.0)
TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 46.09° SB, 50.09° SB, 54.11° SB (Project X 6.5)
TaylorMade Milled Grind 4 60.08° LB (Project X Wedge 6.5)
TaylorMade Spider Tour X
TaylorMade TP5
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