Rory McIlroy through the years

Born in the town of Holywood in Northern Ireland on May 4, 1989, McIlroy was introduced to the game of golf as a lad by his father, Gerry. At age 7, young Rory was already a member of the Holywood Golf Club, and his life as a competitive golfer got its start. By the time he was 10, McIlroy was making a name for himself as one of the top youth golfers in the world.

When McIlroy reached his teens, it was obvious he was something special in terms of his skill and poise up and down a golf course. In 2006, a 17-year-old McIlroy won the European Amateur at Italy's Biella Golf Club by three strokes with a score of 274. It was a defining moment in McIlroy's career and a true glimpse of the greatness for the game he held within.

Though McIlroy played his first European Tour event at the 2005 British Masters at 16, he made his first cut on the Tour in 2007. He did so at the Dubai Desert Classic, which he finished tied for 52nd. McIlroy won more than €7,600 for the effort but was unable to keep it because of his amateur status.

As a result of his European Amateur victory, McIlroy earned a crack at the big time — the 2007 Open Championship at the famed and brutally tough Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland. Still an amateur and playing in his first major, McIlroy opened with a 3-under 68. He made the cut — and finished with a 5-over — in a tie for 42nd, but it was good enough for low amateur honors.

It was finally time for McIlroy to take his game professional. That happened in September 2007, at age 18. Later that year, McIlroy earned his European Tour card, and for the 2007 season, he made more than €275,000 — not a bad haul for a partial season and someone under the age of 20 . 

McIlroy was an established pro and had a full season on the European Tour under his belt when he finally won his first tournament as a professional. That came at the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic, the same event where he made his first cut in a pro tournament. McIlroy shot a 19-under 269 to edge Justin Rose by a single stroke. That victory also propelled him into the top 20 of the World Golf Rankings.

Not only was McIlroy becoming a star on the European scene, but he was gaining attention in the U.S. The likes of Tiger Woods had already taken notice, and in 2009, McIlroy made his debut at the Masters for his first major appearance as a pro. Not only made did McIlroy make the cut at Augusta, but he finished in a tie for 20th. It would be the beginning of some impressive major golf by the Irishman in 2009.

Looking to build on that solid showing at the Masters, McIlroy turned even more heads by carding a final-round 68 to tie for 10th at the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage's Black Course. After finishing just inside the top 50 at the Open Championship that same year, McIlroy further solidified himself as a major contender by tying for third at the PGA Championship at Hazeltine.

By November 2009, McIlroy was now among the world's top-ranked golfers and ready to take his game across the pond to the States on a regular basis. That same month, McIlroy announced that he would be part of the PGA Tour for the 2010 season, truly establishing himself as an international golf star.

Balancing his time between the European Tour and America's premier golf competitions, McIlroy enjoyed his first taste of victory on the PGA Tour in May 2010 — two days before his 21st birthday. At the same tournament where got off to a strong start this week, McIlroy shot a 15-under 273 to top runner-up Phil Mickelson by four stokes at the Quail Hollow Championship. In doing so, McIlroy became the first golfer since Woods to win a PGA Tour event before turning 21.

While McIlroy's star status was on the rise in America, he was poised to head back to the U.K. and earn glory at the grandest event in the history of golf. McIlroy failed to crack the top 40 in his first two starts at the Open Championship, but 2010 would be different. On the Old Course at St. Andrews, McIlroy opened with a blistering 9-under 63 and ended up finishing tied for third — another massive statement from the budding star. 

One of the more memorable lowlights to McIlroy's early pro career came at the 2011 Masters, where he led by four shots heading into the final round but shot an 80 to finish T15. However, he did not let that setback linger and followed with one of the greatest performances in the history of major championship golf. McIlroy earned his first major triumph at the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, shooting a remarkable 16-under 268 (a new U.S. Open record) for an eight-shot victory over Jason Day.

McIlroy's third victory on the PGA Tour at the 2012 Honda Classic, in which he edged Woods and Tom Gillis by two strokes, proved to be a special. With the win, McIlroy earned the world's No. 1 golf ranking. Two months before his 23rd birthday, McIlroy became the second-youngest golfer to reach No. 1 in the world.

Already shaping up to be a special season, 2012 got even better for McIlroy in August. He claimed his second major championship with another dominating performance, this time at the PGA Championship on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. A birdie on the final hole gave McIlroy a final-round 66 for an eight-shot victory, which was a new record. He also regained the world's No. 1 ranking he lost earlier in the season.

In 2012, McIlroy was a force to be reckoned with and the face of pro golf's youthful movement. So, it should not have come as a surprise that he won the money title on both the European and PGA Tours in 2012. McIlroy took home a little more than €5.5 million in Europe and just over $8 million on the U.S. Tour. 

McIlroy capped his stellar 2012 season with a memorable finish at the Ryder Cup. On the final day, McIlroy misinterpreted his tee time and ended up arriving to the course some 12 minutes before he was slated to go off — thanks to a police escort. It didn't matter, McIlroy claimed the final of his three points with a 2 & 1 win over Keegan Bradley to help Europe claim the Cup on U.S. soil. 

After a rough 2013, when he failed to win on both the European and PGA Tours, McIlroy bounced back big-time in 2014. He won three times on the PGA Tour, including his two most recent major titles. The first of the season might have been the sweetest. A two-stroke victory over Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia at the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool made McIlroy the third European to win three different majors. McIlroy then claimed his second PGA Championship victory by outlasting Mickelson by a stroke to win at Valhalla. 

While McIlroy was enjoying the best season of his professional golf career in 2014, his personal life wasn't necessarily up to par. In May 2014, McIlroy ended his engagement with tennis star and fiancee Caroline Wozniacki, whom he had dated since 2011. Reportedly, the invitations to the wedding had already been sent out and McIlroy got cold feet. According to Wozniacki, McIlroy broke up with her on the phone.

Now, McIlroy's alleged handling of his relationship with Wozniacki certainly would seem to put him in a bad light. Then again, he's human, and McIlroy's off-course issues or controversies seem tame compared to other high-profile celebrities. There was the 2013 withdrawal from the Honda Classic because of a toothache that earned McIlroy some jeers. He's chided the Ryder Cup and threw a club into the water out of frustration at Doral in 2015, too. But if those are among the worst examples of McIlroy's behavior, we can live with those instances.  

While McIlroy kept piling up the wins in 2015 and 2016 (he also won the FedEx Cup in the latter), '17 proved a bit more challenging for one the world's elite golfers. He still made over $2.4 million on the PGA Tour and did nearly as well in Europe, but he went the entire calendar year without a victory. McIlroy also dealt with a nagging rib injury that limited his schedule.

Though McIlroy's 2017 was a bit rough on the course, he won big off it. In April of that year, McIlroy married girlfriend Erica Stoll, a former PGA of America employee whom he started seeing in 2015. They were engaged by the end of that year and wed at a castle in Cong, County Mayo in Ireland.

The drought was finally over. McIlroy was a winner on the PGA again, and all seemed right with the golf world. He shot a final-round 64 and beat Bryson DeChambeau by three shots to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March 2018. It was McIlroy's first victory anywhere in the world since winning the Tour Championship in September 2016.

At the moment, it's fair to say McIlroy is in relatively good form on the 2019 season. Heading into Quail Hollow, he's posted seven top-10 finishes in nine starts on the PGA Tour, placed second at the WGC-Mexico Championship and shot a 16-under to win the Players Championship in March to join Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only golfers to win 15 PGA Tour events and four majors prior to their 30th birthday.

Entering the first weekend of May and his 30th birthday, McIlroy has posted almost 30 professional golf victories, won four major titles and been on four winning Ryder Cup teams for Europe. While he's still looking for that elusive Masters crown to complete golf's Grand Slam, McIlroy is sure to add to those impressive victory totals and, of course, the more than $76 million he's earned on both the PGA and European Tours.

Don't think age will be a deterrent for McIlroy. After all, life really doesn't start until 30, right? Sure, he has not won a major since 2014, but as long as he stays healthy and his game remains sharp, McIlroy will be among the favorites in every tournament for the foreseeable future. And, it would be unwise to think his major-winning days are in the past.