Rory McIlroy

McIlroy married Erica Stoll in 2017, and the couple have a daughter, Poppy, born in 2020. The two first met at the 2012 Ryder Cup, where McIlroy was competing and Stoll was working for the PGA of America. Prior to their relationship, McIlroy was engaged to Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki before parting ways in May 2014. McIlroy filed for divorce in 2024 but withdrew the petition the following month after resolving their differences.

While McIlroy maintains that Northern Ireland remains his home, he divides his time between residences in Holywood, a property on Jupiter Island in Florida, and a home near Wentworth outside London. Outside of tournament play, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2012.

McIlroy was introduced to golf at an early age by his father, Gerry McIlroy. Recognizing his talent early, his parents, Gerry and Rosie McIlroy, worked multiple jobs and extra work shifts to fund his equipment, practice, and travel. He was hitting 40-yard drives with customized clubs by age two and recorded his first hole in one at age nine.

At age seven, McIlroy was admitted as a member of Holywood Golf Club. He earned international recognition at age nine by winning the 1998 Doral Junior Under-10 World Championship in Miami. McIlroy continued his ascent through amateur ranks across Ireland and Britain, winning the European Amateur Championship in Milan in 2006. In 2007, he won the silver medal as the lowest-scoring amateur at the Open Championship before turning professional at age 18 later that year.

After turning professional, McIlroy secured his 2008 European Tour card in his debut season, becoming the youngest and fastest player to achieve the feat. His first European Tour title came at the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic, followed by his first PGA Tour victory at the 2010 Wells Fargo Championship, where he set a course record with a final-round 62.

In 2011, McIlroy recovered from a final-round collapse at the Masters Tournament to capture his first major championship two months later at the U.S. Open, winning by eight strokes. He added a second major at the 2012 PGA Championship. In 2014, McIlroy went wire to wire to win the British Open and followed with a victory over Phil Mickelson at the PGA Championship, becoming only the fourth male golfer to win four majors by age 25.

In team and tour competition, McIlroy became a cornerstone of European golf, contributing to Ryder Cup victories in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2018. He also established a record on the PGA Tour by capturing three FedEx Cup season championships (2016, 2019, and 2022) and won the Players Championship in 2019.

Following an eleven-year drought in major championships, McIlroy broke through at the 2025 Masters Tournament, defeating Justin Rose in a playoff to capture the green jacket and complete the modern career Grand Slam. With the victory, he became only the sixth male golfer to win all four major championships. He returned to Augusta National in 2026 to successfully defend his title, becoming the fourth player in history to win the Masters in consecutive years.