How many majors Rory McIlroy has won – and when he won them

Rory McIlroy is one of the most successful current players in golf – but how many Majors has he won?

The Northern Irishman currently has a total of 21 wins to his name on the PGA Tour, with 14 of those classed as European Tour wins. He turned professional at the age of 18 in 2007, and success was quickly forthcoming.

McIlroy reached two play-offs on the European Tour in 2008, losing out on both occasions. His first win came under a year later, at the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic in February. He was one stroke ahead of Justin Rose.

It wasn’t long before the Northern Irish golfer took the PGA Tour by storm. He won his first event in May 2010 at the Quail Hollow Championship – four strokes ahead of Phil Mickelson.

Although that victory was memorable, McIlroy soon began cracking the Major championships, and in some style.

How many majors has Rory McIlroy won?

Image Credit: JIM WATSON / AFP / Getty

Prior to the 2022 US Open, Rory McIlroy has won a total of four golf Majors.

All four of these victories came before 2015. He has, however, come close to winning Majors on several occasions. For instance, at the 2018 Masters, McIlroy entered the final round at Augusta National in second place, three strokes behind leader Patrick Reed.

However, the Northern Irishman carded a two-over 74 on the fourth and final day, finishing six strokes behind the American, who was the eventual winner.

Let’s take a look at McIlroy’s Major wins to date, and when they happened:

1. June 2011 – US Open

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Rory McIlroy’s first Major win was perhaps the most sensational of them all.

The then-22-year-old broke a total of 11 records that weekend. His score of 268 (16-under-par) was the lowest score over 72 holes.

No-one could come close to beating McIlroy at the Congressional Country Club in Michigan. He finished eight shots ahead of second-placed Jason Day, with an opening day five-under round of 65 summing up just how impressive he had been.

2. August 2012 – PGA Championship

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Rory McIlroy’s second Major victory came over a year later – but he was challenged far harder than in Maryland.

He entered the final day three strokes ahead of the Swede, Carl Petersson, having held off the challengers on the third day after a weather delay.

If McIlroy had any nerves, however, he didn’t show them. He scored three birdies on the front nine, before repeating the trick on the back nine to record a round of six-under-par. As his challengers fell away one by one, he picked up his second Major by an incredible eight-stroke margin.

3. July 2014 – The Open Championship

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The scoreboard made for great reading for Rory McIlroy in The Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in 2014.

The Northern Irishman led all four rounds and carded a total score of 17-under-par. But he had to hold off final day charges from Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia.

Both challengers began the final day on 10-under-par, and carded rounds of five-under-par to put some pressure on the leader. McIlroy’s position faltered early on, as he recorded two bogeys on the first eight holes. Garcia, meanwhile, climbed to three shots back.

But McIlroy recovered back to his starting position of 17-under-par, and the gap to Garcia and Fowler never went below three shots. He won his first Major title, pocketing nearly £1 million in the process.

4. August 2014 – PGA Championship (2)

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Rory McIlroy’s fourth Major win brought that saying about buses into play. The golf icon was at it again just a month after his third triumph.

This one, however, was far from straightforward. McIlroy entered the final day one shot clear of Bernd Wiesberger, who applied pressure from the off. But it was Phil Mickelson, who started two shots off the pace, who looked most likely to win.

At one stage, the American was two shots clear of McIlroy. But the Northern Irishman landed an eagle on the 10th hole, and he eventually began to pull clear. With the skies starting to darken, it was literally a race to the finish for McIlroy, Mickelson and Rickie Fowler, who was also in contention.

Mickelson needed an eagle from his final hole to defeat his rival, but had to settle for a birdie. McIlroy squeezed home by one shot to earn his fourth Major crown.

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