Rory McIlroy has four Major wins in a hugely successful career that continues to underscore his reputation as one of the most talented players of his era.
However, despite the Northern Irishman being one of the most consistent performers in the game – as evidenced by the fact that he’s only rarely slipped outside of the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking since 2010 – each Major win came within the space of less than four years between 2011 and 2014. Here is the story of how each came about.
2011 US Open
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McIlroy had already served the world notice of his burgeoning talent in 2009 when he finished tied for 10th in the US Open and tied for 3rd in the PGA Championship to add to his win in the Dubai Desert Classic in the same year.
However, it was in 2011 when a fresh-faced McIlroy claimed his first Major in style when he cruised to victory in the US Open at Congressional. So dominant was McIlroy that he broke 11 US Open records over the weekend, including the lowest total under-par with his 16-under eight-shot victory over Jason Day.
McIlroy started well and simply kept going. He took advantage of the rain-softened terrain to finish three shots clear of Charl Schwartzel and YE Yang after the first round, and he extended the lead to six after the second day despite a double bogey to complete his round. McIlroy followed that up with a 68 on the Saturday to extend his lead to eight, and he was in no mood to relinquish it in the final round, posting a 69 to claim his maiden Major and prize money of $1.44m.
2012 PGA Championship
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In 2012, McIlroy endured three underwhelming Major performances, finishing tied for 40th at The Masters, missing the cut in his defence of the US Open title and finishing tied for 60th in the 141st Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes. However, he saved his best until last in the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.
Rounds of 67 and 75 after the first two days kept McIlroy in contention and tied for fifth, before another 67 in a weather-affected third round saw him sweep into a…
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