Who is Rory McIlroy? Everything you need to know about golf’s biggest name ahead of the Australian Open
He’s the biggest name in golf. But just who is Rory McIlroy, and what makes him so good? Here’s everything you need to know about golf’s next $1 billion man.
Rory McIlroy is in Melbourne, and if you hadn’t already noticed, it’s kind of a big deal.
The “most charismatic golfer in the world” is how the venerable statesman of Irish golf Paul McGinley describes him, and it’s hard to argue.
No active golfer bar Tiger Woods (who is not really that active at the moment) is more well known than McIlroy.
There will hardly be a sports fan who won’t remember McIlroy’s spine-tingling victory in the Masters earlier this year, ending his 11-year drought to win a fifth major, golf’s elite events in which every player’s record is always measured against.
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It was even more special because it meant McIlroy had joined an exclusive club with only five other players – Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods – as winners of all four majors (the Masters, US PGA Championship, US Open and The Open) in the history of the men’s game.
His commitment to play in the Australian Open for the next two years came with a multi-million dollar appearance fee from the Victorian government, an investment which will trigger returns many times over.
It will be his last significant tournament appearance of the 2025, undoubtedly the biggest year of his career.
But what is the Rory McIlroy story?
HOW MUCH IS MCILROY’S NET WORTH?
It’s impossible to crunch the numbers down to an exact figure, but McIlroy’s value has been estimated by various sources in the region of US$300 million (A$455 million), while others have forecast it could reach A$1 billion by the end of his golfing career.
Whichever way you slice it, he’s one of the world’s richest athletes.
It comes with a lifestyle afforded to the very privileged: from his private Gulfstream jet he uses to fly around the world to tournaments and corporate engagements to the mega mansion he’s just finished building at Wentworth in the United Kingdom, having made the decision to move his family’s primary residence back to Europe after years of living in Florida.
McIlroy was just the second person after Woods to win more than US$100 million in prize money on the PGA Tour, but his tournament winnings are nothing compared to endorsements he has had from the likes of Nike, equipment supplier TaylorMade, Omega, NBC Sports and Workday.
The Nike deal alone was reported to be US$100 million over 10 years.
WHERE IS MCILROY FROM?
McIlroy grew up as an only child to working class parents just outside of Belfast.
His father Gerry and mum Rosie worked multiple jobs to support McIlroy’s golfing ambition when he started showing promise in their small hometown of Holywood.
McIlroy has remained staunchly proud of his Northern Irish roots and among his most emotional moments on a golf course was when he played The Open Championship in 2019 at Royal Portrush, just outside the small holiday town where waves lap from the Atlantic Ocean.
It was the first time golf’s most historic tournament had been played in Northern Ireland in 68 years.
But McIlroy has represented the Republic of Ireland rather than Great Britain in the Olympic Games, citing his past experience as an amateur and junior player when he would wear the emerald green.
He keeps his circle very tight. Childhood friend Harry Diamond has been his longtime caddie and his old swing coach from when he was a kid, Michael Bannon, remains part of his team.
Wife Erica is a former PGA of America employee. McIlroy filed for divorce last year before the pair reconciled weeks later. They share a daughter Poppy, who McIlroy told “never ever give up on your dreams” during his victory speech at the Masters.
HOW DID HE COME TO PROMINENCE?
McIlroy has lived almost his entire life in the spotlight, making his first television appearance as nine-year-old on the popular talk show hosted by Gerry Kelly.
Kelly, an avid golfer, had heard about the whiz kid’s exploits in junior events and asked his parents how he practised in the freezing European winter. Rosie told him he would chip golf balls into a washing machine in their house.
The remark spawned one of the most amazing bits of talk show television as a pudgy and smiling McIlroy clipped balls into a washing machine on live television.
“I said on camera, ‘America has Tiger Woods but we have Rory McIlroy’,” Kelly told News Corp in an interview last month. “Little did I think within 10 years of that appearance he would be one of the top players in the world.”
WHY IS HE SO GOOD?
Many reasons, but undoubtedly McIlroy is one of the best drivers of the golf ball in the history of the sport.
At just 177cm, McIlroy is not a tall man. But the incredible torque in his body and strength through his lower half has moulded a powerful swing which can launch a golf ball at speeds of 300km/h.
It has allowed him to be consistently among the longest hitters in the game for the past decade.
WHY IS HE THE FACE OF THE PGA TOUR?
Whether you like McIlroy’s opinions or not, one thing is for certain: you can’t avoid hearing them.
McIlroy has never been afraid to speak his mind on any number of issues, and even in his only pre-tournament press conference before the Australian Open this week, said the famed Royal Melbourne course “wasn’t even the best in Melbourne” (he thinks Kingston Heath is for the record).
But McIlroy emerged as the unofficial spokesperson for the PGA Tour when the men’s professional golf world was torn apart in 2022 with the advent of the then-Greg Norman led and Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
McIlroy feuded with Norman publicly and staunchly defended the traditional tours, but has since been more pragmatic in his views in the past 18 months, admitting his very public stance had taken a toll.
But with Woods battling a multitude of injuries and a reluctance to undertake regular media, McIlroy is the most listened to star on the US circuit.
WHAT IS MCILROY’S FAVOURITE SPORTING TEAM?
He’s been known as a big fan of Ireland’s traditional sports including rugby union and admits to taking an interest in cricket, particularly The Ashes, but McIlroy’s main sporting love away from golf is Manchester United.
He grew up supporting the soccer giants and has been a regular season ticket holder who has rubbed shoulders with some of their most famous players including Cristiano Ronaldo, and idolised David Beckham when he was a kid.
McIlroy, 36, has even expressed interest in taking a tiny share in the club if the opportunity came up in the future.
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Originally published as Who is Rory McIlroy? Everything you need to know about golf’s biggest name ahead of the Australian Open
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