He’s been the top-ranked professional golfer in the world for more than 100 weeks. With three major championships under his belt by the age of 25, Rory McIlroy has become one of the sport’s most celebrated young stars.
Rory Mcilroy Early Life
Rory McIlroy was born in Holywood, Northern Ireland, on May 4th, 1989. McIlroy’s father, a good and enthusiastic golfer, taught him the game from the time he was a toddler. At the age of seven, Rory McIlroy became the club’s youngest ever member, making him one of the youngest members in the club’s history.
Rory McIlroy was given a new golf club for his birthday, and he was instructed to hold it correctly while he slept. However, Rory’s wealthy family made a special effort to help him become a professional golfer, even if they weren’t wealthy. His parents were able to provide their son with the greatest education possible by working a variety of professions.
Additionally, they were able to send Rory to his first major championship, the Doral Golf Resort’s World Championship for Boys Ages 9 and 10. In the end, it was McIlroy who emerged victorious.
Rory Mcilroy Early Career
By the time he was 15 years old, Rory had won the Junior Ryder Cup for Europe. Also in 2005, he became the youngest winner of the West of Ireland Championship and the Irish Close Championship, both of which he won at the age of 15. His first professional victory came just a year later, when he took home the European Amateur title.
McIlroy went on to compete in the Walker Cup, the British Masters, the Dubai Desert Classic, and the Open Championship over the next few years.
Rory Mcilroy Career
At the beginning of 2007, Rory McIlroy was ready to turn professional. The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship was a highlight of his debut season. He was one of the top 200 golfers in the world by the beginning of 2008. He came so close to winning the Omega European Masters that year.
READ MORE:
- Kerry Washington Net Worth, Early Life, Career And More
- Henrik Stenson Net Worth Early Life, Family, And Education
- Lewis Hamilton Net Worth (Updated 2022), Early Life, Education & More!
He rose to the 39th position in the world golf rankings by the year’s end in 2008. McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic in 2009 for the first time that year. With this victory, he rose to the 16th position in the world. He finished 20th in his debut Masters Tournament that year. This was McIlroy’s best year ever after a string of strong finishes in European Tour tournaments.
At the Quail Hollow Championship in 2010, Rory McIlroy claimed his first PGA Tour victory. McIlroy became the youngest golfer since Tiger Woods to win a PGA Tour event at the age of 21 or younger. He finished the year as the seventh-best player in the world after setting a first-round record at St. Andrews’ Old Course.
When Rory McIlroy blew a chance to win the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, in 2011, he became a household celebrity. A professional golfer in the lead had never had a round like that going into the third round. McIlroy, on the other hand, rebounded back the following year to win the US Open by eight strokes over the second-place finisher.
He was ranked fourth in the world following this victory. After finishing second at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2012, Rory McIlroy became the world’s second-ranked golfer, making him the world’s second-ranked player.
In spite of this, he also triumphed in the Honda Classic later in the year, becoming the first player in his career to win the tournament. Throughout the year, McIlroy would claim and lose the number one ranking multiple times, eventually winning enough tournaments to secure his position as the world’s top golfer..
It was a rough year for Rory McIlroy in 2013 and the first few months of 2014, but he rebounded back with victories in the PGA Championship and the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. For the second time, he triumphed at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2015.
He became one of only three professional golfers to win ten PGA Tour events and four major championships by the age of 25 with more victories. For the first time since 2016, Rory McIlroy failed to win a tournament during 2017. He was a member of the European Ryder Cup team that triumphed in 2018. It was in 2020 that he recovered the world number one ranking after winning the Players Championship in 2019.
Rory Mcilroy Personal Wealth
Rory McIlroy has earned over $34 million in his professional golfing career. He was the youngest player on the European Tour to earn €10 million by the age of 22. By 2012, he had become the PGA Tour’s youngest $10 million-earning golfer. Among the world’s most marketable athletes in 2013, SportsPro ranked him third.
A $100 million to $250 million Nike endorsement agreement was said to have been struck by him in 2013. Nike said in 2017 that he had signed a new, 10-year contract for $200 million. Rory McIlroy signed an agreement with TaylorMade worth an estimated $100 million in equipment endorsements when Nike’s golf equipment business was shut down.
.@golfnow is giving you the chance to be my Pro-Am partner at the @BMWchamps. Enter here https://t.co/pOKpHYHIpg @bmwgolfsport #GoPlay #Compete pic.twitter.com/FGTEJNANg7
— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) July 9, 2022
He was the FedEx Cup champion in 2016 and pocketed $10 million in prize money. A record-breaking $15 million in prize money was his reward for winning the FedEx Cup once more in 2019. Rory’s earnings from salary and sponsorships were $40 million from June 2017 to June 2018.
He made an additional $40 million in other income in the same time frame (2018-2019). With endorsements accounting for the bulk of his annual earnings, he was ranked as the sixth-highest-paid athlete in the world in 2013. During the following year, he made $50 million.