For over a decade, the narrative around Rory McIlroy was basically a broken record. We all knew the story: the boy wonder from Holywood who blitzed the field in his early twenties, then spent ten years wandering through a desert of "what ifs" and "almosts." If you followed golf at all between 2014 and 2024, you saw the same movie every April. Rory shows up at Augusta, the pressure cooks, and he leaves with a top-ten finish that felt like a funeral.
But honestly, looking back at the full list of Rory McIlroy major wins tells a much weirder, more dominant story than the "drought" years suggest. People forget just how much he didn't just win—he demolished.
The Congressional Massacre: 2011 U.S. Open
Two months. That’s how long it took for Rory to go from the biggest "choke" in modern golf history to the most dominant U.S. Open performance since Tiger at Pebble Beach. You remember the 2011 Masters, right? That snap-hook on the 10th hole? The image of him leaning on his putter, head down, near the cabins? It was brutal.
Most 22-year-olds would have been scarred for years. Rory? He went to Congressional in Maryland and treated the field like a Sunday morning foursome.
He opened with a 65. Then a 66. By Friday night, he was already six shots clear. Usually, the U.S. Open is about "par is your friend" and grinding out 71s. Rory decided to play a different game. He finished at 16-under-par, a number that sounds like a typo for a U.S. Open. He beat Jason Day by eight strokes. Eight.
He set or tied 12 records that week. Lowest 72-hole score (268). Lowest total under par. Youngest winner since Bobby Jones. It wasn't just a win; it was a statement that the post-Tiger era had officially arrived.
Kiawah Island: Rory laps the field again
If 2011 was about redemption, the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island was about raw power. The Ocean Course is a monster. It’s windy, sandy, and usually eats golfers alive.
Rory didn't care.
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After a weird second-round 75 in a literal gale, he went back to work. A Sunday morning 67 (after a weather delay) set the stage, and then he just ran away. He carded a bogey-free 66 in the final round. While everyone else was scrambling for pars in the dunes, he was hitting 3-irons to twelve feet on 250-yard par-threes.
The final margin? Another eight-shot victory. At 23, he had two majors by a combined sixteen shots. To put that in perspective, Jack Nicklaus didn't even have that kind of "blowout" frequency that early. He became the youngest PGA Champion since the tournament switched to stroke play in 1958.
The Summer of Rory: Two in a row in 2014
The 2014 season was peak McIlroy. This was the summer where it felt like nobody else on earth could beat him. He went to Royal Liverpool for The Open Championship and led wire-to-wire.
It wasn't quite the eight-shot cushion he was used to, though. Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler actually made a run on Sunday. Sergio got within two shots at one point, but Rory stayed icy. He finished at 17-under, claiming the Claret Jug and becoming just the third player—after Jack and Tiger—to win three legs of the modern Grand Slam by age 25.
Then came Valhalla.
The 2014 PGA Championship was pure chaos. It’s remembered for the darkness. Because of a massive rain delay, the final group was literally finishing in the middle of the night. Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler were in the fairway on 18, and the tournament organizers basically forced them to let Rory and Bernd Wiesberger play up behind them so they could finish before the sun went down.
Rory won by one. It was his fourth major. At that point, the conversation wasn't "will he win more?" it was "will he catch Jack's eighteen?"
Then, the clock stopped.
The Great 11-Year Wait
Between 2014 and 2025, Rory didn't win a single major. It’s one of the most baffling stretches in sports history. He won everything else—three FedEx Cups, multiple Race to Dubai titles, over 20 more PGA Tour events—but the big four remained out of reach.
He had the 2022 Open at St. Andrews where he hit every single green in regulation on Sunday and somehow didn't win. He had the 2023 and 2024 U.S. Opens where he lost by a single shot. The 2024 collapse at Pinehurst, missing two short putts in the final three holes to lose to Bryson DeChambeau, felt like the final nail in the coffin for many fans.
But then, 2025 happened.
The 2025 Masters: The Grand Slam is real
It finally happened. After eleven years of questions, Rory McIlroy walked off the 18th green at Augusta National with a Green Jacket.
Honestly, it wasn't even his best ball-striking week. He opened with an uninspiring 72. But he stayed in the hunt with 66-66 on Friday and Saturday. Sunday was a roller coaster—a double bogey on the first hole nearly sent the "Rory Choke" memes into overdrive.
But he clawed back. He survived a late charge from Justin Rose and won in a sudden-death playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole.
With that win, he became only the sixth man to win the career Grand Slam. He joined the Mount Rushmore of golf:
- Tiger Woods
- Jack Nicklaus
- Gary Player
- Ben Hogan
- Gene Sarazen
- Rory McIlroy
Summary of Major Championship Wins
| Year | Tournament | Venue | Score | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | U.S. Open | Congressional | -16 | 8 strokes |
| 2012 | PGA Championship | Kiawah Island | -13 | 8 strokes |
| 2014 | The Open | Royal Liverpool | -17 | 2 strokes |
| 2014 | PGA Championship | Valhalla | -16 | 1 stroke |
| 2025 | The Masters | Augusta National | -11 | Playoff |
Why these wins actually matter now
People used to argue that Rory’s early wins were "easy" because he front-ran. They said he couldn't win a dogfight. The 2011 and 2012 wins were blowouts. 2014 at Valhalla was close, but he was still the heavy favorite.
The 2025 Masters win changed his entire legacy. It proved he could win under the most intense psychological pressure imaginable—the weight of a decade of failure.
So, what should you take away from this?
First, ignore the "drought" talk. Rory has five majors now. Only 19 players in the history of the game have five or more. He's passed legends like Raymond Floyd and Ernie Els.
Second, watch his driving stats. In every single one of his major wins, Rory led the field in "Strokes Gained: Off the Tee." When he's driving it well, he’s essentially playing a different sport.
If you're looking to bet on Rory in 2026 or just follow his progress, keep an eye on his short-game metrics. In 2025, his putting finally cracked the top 10 on Tour, which was the missing piece. As long as he stays healthy, there’s no reason he can't get to six or seven before he hits the Champions Tour.
Next Steps:
To really understand Rory's game, you should track his Driving Distance vs. Fairway Percentage over his next three starts. Historically, when he averages over 320 yards while keeping the ball in play more than 60% of the time, he’s almost certain to contend in the next major. Focus on his performance at the upcoming Genesis Invitational—it's usually a great bellwether for his Masters' form.