30 Things You Didn’t Know About Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy is one of those rare talents that transcends golf. Once viewed as the natural successor to Tiger Woods, the Northern Irishman is arguably the greatest player of his generation and the second-biggest name in the sport behind Woods.

McIlroy has won everything there is to win in the game barring The Masters, which has so far eluded him in a career that includes four Majors, multiple FedEx Cup and Race to Dubai titles, Ryder Cup wins and over 100 weeks as World No.1.

Get to know Rory McIlroy better with these 30 facts...

1. McIlroy is from Holywood, Northern Ireland, near Belfast.

2. As a result he grew up playing Holywood Golf Club.

3. He named his first dog after Ernie Els, calling it Theo (Els' first name).

4. His father Gerry was a scratch handicapper and he got Rory into the game of golf at a young age. 

5. His first coach was Michael Bannon who, incredibly, still coaches him 20+ years later. Rory has often consulted other coaches like Pete Cowen for example, but it seems he always returns to Bannon. 

6. He won the under-10s world championship at Doral in Miami at the age of nine.

7. Also aged nine, he appeared on TV chipping golf balls into a washing machine.

8. Reportedly McIlroy made his first hole-in-one at the age of 10.

9. At the age of 17, he was the number-one-ranked amateur in the world for a week.

10. He has been world No.1 for over 100 weeks.

11. He supports Manchester United and is also an Ulster Rugby fan.

12. He attended the Northern Ireland vs Germany soccer match in Paris at the 2016 UEFA European Championships.

13. He also loves boxing and used to regularly attend fellow Belfast man Carl Frampton's fights.

14. He injured himself playing football in the summer of 2015 and subsequently missed the chance to defend his Open Championship title at St Andrews.

15. He was engaged to tennis star Caroline Wozniaki but the pair broke up in 2014.

16. McIlroy became the fastest golfer in history to earn a European Tour card, doing so in two starts.

17. He is one of three men (along with Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus) to have won four Majors by the age of 25.

18. McIlroy currently lives in Jupiter, Florida and like many other professionals, he practises at The Bears Club.

19. He received an MBE in 2012 for his services to sport.

20. He has been named RTE Sports Person of the Year twice, in 2011 and 2014.

21. He became the youngest man to earn €10m on the European Tour and $10m on the PGA Tour.

22. He created the company Rory McIlroy Inc. in 2015

23. At the 2007 Open Championship, McIlroy won the Silver Medal. He would then win his Open Championship title in 2014.

24. His caddie Harry Diamond is his childhood best friend and the best man at his wedding. The pair teamed up in 2017 after McIlroy broke off his eight-year partnership with JP Fitzgerald, who he won all four of his Majors with.

25. He made the cut in the 2007 Dubai Desert Classic as a 17-year-old and would have won almost €8,000 had he not been an amateur.

26. He identifies as Irish, Northern Irish and British

27. He got married to former PGA of America employee Erica Stoll in 2017 in County Mayo. They famously met while he was running late for his tee time on the final day of the 2012 Ryder Cup. They have one child together, a daughter named Poppy.

28. He was one of only two sportsmen to make The Times Rich List in 2020 - the other was Lewis Hamilton.

29. He plays TaylorMade equipment, having previously been with Titleist and Nike. With TaylorMade, he also has his own line of junior golf clubs.

30. He left school aged 16 to concentrate on golf, with his parents taking up extra part-time jobs to fund his dream.