What Is Rory McIlroy's Longest Drive?

Rory McIlroy has hit some monster drives in his time, but how far did his longest drive go?

Rory McIlroy during the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Paul Higham
By Paul Higham
published

Rory McIlroy is renowned for his driving ability and regularly launching bombs off the tee, but what is the longest drive he's managed to hit?

McIlroy topped the PGA Tour driving distance stats once again in 2023, finishing the season with an average of 326.3 yards off the tee - the longest in PGA Tour history.

The four-time Major champion's longest recorded drive of his career though came in 2023, and was a full 100 yards further measuring in at 427 yards.

It came at a windy Renaissance Club in Scotland during the Scottish Open - with a combination of McIlroy's awesome roar power, a gust of wind and a bouncy links track led to the monster drive.

It was a crucial drive as well at the seventh hole of the Renaissance Club as it set up a birdie as McIlroy managed to pip Robert MacIntyre to win the Scottish Open title.

McIlroy has been over 400 yards before off the tee, but his previous best in 2023 was the 388-yard drive he his at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera.

There were a few gaudy numbers that day in Scotland, and McIlroy even admitted afterwards that he did not swing particularly hard for his mammoth, but he connected clean enough to send it flying. 

And with the way technology continues to progress then McIlroy may well improve on his biggest yet in the years to come.

McIlroy's biggest hit is impressive, but it's not even close to Tiger Woods' longest drive, which comes in at a jaw-dropping 498 yards.

Now, this did come at the Plantation Course in Hawaii on the 18th that has a huge downhill slope on it - with 199 players going over 450 yards off the tee on that hole during the week. Still impressive though, right?

McIlroy's best came up just one yard short of Bryson DeChambeau's longest drive in a tournament, which was his 428-yard effort at the 2019 Travelers Championship.

DeChambeau did unleash 480-yard missile at the The Match exhibition tournament in 2021 in Montana, but that was obviously in an unofficial event so does not replace his best from the PGA Tour.

Paul Higham
Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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