Rory McIlroy Player Profile And What's In The Bag

Article Updated in January 2024

It was not pretty but Rory McIlroy held on to win the Dubai Desert Classic for a record fourth time, defeating Poland’s Adrian Meronk by a single shot after leading by four at one point.

Third-round leader Cameron Young came up short once again, finishing third - and is still looking for his first victory in the paid ranks.

• Player Profile
• Last 10 Events
• Key Stats
• Official World Golf Ranking - Last 3 Years
• What's In The Bag

McIlroy, who was the defending champion, said: “It feels really cool to have won this tournament for the fourth time. I also finished second last week and I feel like I am playing well. There are still a few things to iron out but the course was playing really difficult this week. I felt at the start of the weekend that I needed to play the last two rounds in 10 under par to give myself a chance to win. And I managed to do it in 11 under and win by one shot. It feels like a great start to my season.”

McIlroy was 10 strokes off the halfway lead before charging into contention with a magnificent third round of 63 at Emirates Golf Club, taking him within two shots of Young. 

But he then pulled clear of the field with an impressive final round performance. 

The world No. 2 moved into a share of the lead inside the opening four holes in front of a huge crowd and then took th lead on his own at the sixth after mistakes from Young and Meronk, with back to back birdies at the eighth and ninth holes seeing McIlroy reach the turn with a three-shot lead. McIlroy saw his advantage cut from four to one when Meronk finished with birdies at the 17th and 18th. 

However, McIlroy held on, closing with a two-under 70 to hold off the chasing pack and claim his first win of the year. McIlroy finished with a 72-hole total of 274, 14 under par.

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 is a four-time major winner but his last one came in 2014. 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 24 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. 

He is second in the world rankings and leads the DP World Tour standings. He won the 2022-23 Race to Dubai.

In 2017, Forbes reported that McIlroy was the joint sixth highest-paid sportsperson, having earned $50 million, of which $34 million came from endorsements.

In 238 starts on the PGA Tour he has made the cut 208 times. Apart from his 24 wins, he has finished second 10 times and third on a further 10 occasions. He has pocketed more than $80m in prize money on the PGA Tour, second only to Tiger Woods. He has won the FedEx Cup three times.

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

Hero Dubai Desert Classic - 1st

Dubai Invitational - T2nd

DP World Tour Championship - T22nd

BMW PGA Championship - T7th

Horizon Irish Open - T16th

Tour Championship (72 Hole Scores) - T11th

BMW Championship - 4th

FedEx St Jude Championship - T3rd

The 151st Open - T6th

Genesis Scottish Open - T2nd

Key Stats

Driving Distance - 314.54 Yards

Driving Accuracy - 51.51%

Greens in Regulation - 69.21%

Sand Saves - 70%

Putts Per Round - 27.83

Scoring Average - 68.88

End of Year World Ranking Position

2020: 4

2021: 9

2022: 1

2023: 2

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 2024 TP5x