It is a question about Rory McIlroy that golf nuts and even casual fans will probably know the answer to, but one to which it is difficult to respond.
McIlroy has been winning trophies in the professional game since 2009, and he has also found himself at the top of major leaderboards on more occasions than most players.
The Northern Irishman has won five major titles. His most recent one came in 2025 when he finally completed the career grand slam and won the Masters.
Having dominantly opened his account in 2011 at the US Open, a matter of months after choking at the Masters at Augusta National, he won his first PGA Championship title a year later at Kiawah Island by eight shots from Englishman David Lynn.
He added a second Wanamaker trophy two years later after winning the Claret Jug. In 2024, he still hadn’t added to his account, which was truly remarkable considering the close calls he’d had at golf’s big four events since.
He should’ve won the 2022 Open at St Andrews, and he probably should’ve won the US Open in 2023 at Los Angeles Country Club. The big one will always be the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst where he surrendered the title to Bryson DeChambeau after missing short putts on holes 16 and 18.
So, how many majors has Rory McIlroy won, and how did he win them?
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How many majors has Rory McIlroy won? Rory McIlroy major wins
2011 US Open at Congressional
McIlroy won his first major and broke several records at this US Open in Maryland. He set the lowest 72-hole score at 268 and the lowest total to par on 16-under. He also became the fifth player, and Robert Garrigus became the sixth player, to shoot under par in all four rounds at the event.
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It was a wire-to-wire major victory that began with a 65 on Thursday which opened a three-shot lead to reigning Masters champion Charl Schwartzel and former PGA champion Y.E Yang.
He took a six-shot lead over Yang into the weekend and went on to shoot 68 and 69 on Saturday and Sunday to cash in the $1,440,000 winner’s prize and an eight-shot victory over Australia’s Jason Day, who shot 65 and 68 in the final two rounds.
2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island
Interestingly, Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh shared the 36-hole lead at the 2012 PGA Championship with Sweden’s Carl Pettersson. McIlroy was two shots behind on two-under-par with rounds of 67 and 75.
But he took control in the third round on the Ocean Course which had to be completed on Sunday morning after a weather delay. When play was halted on Saturday evening, McIlroy and Singh were tied on six-under, but when the third round concluded on Sunday, McIlroy held a three-shot lead.
A final-round 66 in South Carolina meant the field had no chance of catching the runaway winner who set the record winning margin at the PGA Championship, surpassing Jack Nicklaus’ seven-shot win in 1980.
2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool
McIlroy hadn’t been close to winning The Open before arriving on Merseyside. Something clicked at Royal Liverpool as he became just the sixth player in the history of The Open to lead from start to finish.
He shot six-under on the first day to lead by one shot from Italy’s Matteo Manassero. He held a six-shot lead over Rickie Fowler heading into the final round, and a seven-shot advantage over Sergio Garcia.
Garcia gave it an almighty run on Sunday, carding a 66 and at one stage getting within two shots of McIlroy. But the eventual winner’s 71 was enough to seal his first Claret Jug.
2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club
McIlroy won the third PGA Championship to be held at Valhalla by one shot from Phil Mickelson. It was an exciting finish in Kentucky as the final two groups shared the 18th hole on Sunday as they were racing to beat the fading light.
The final round wasn’t plain sailing. Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Henrik Stenson all found themselves ahead of McIlroy at one stage, but the man with purple Nike sleeves eagled the 10th hole and birdied the 13th and 17th on his way to victory.
2025 Masters at Augusta National
At one of the most remarkable golf tournaments that has ever been played, McIlroy finally got his green jacket. The final round was just incredible. He started in the final group on Sunday with Bryson DeChambeau, and despite making a double-bogey on the first hole, he saw off his American rival with ease after a flurry of birdies around the turn.
He dodged a bullet on the 11th when narrowly missing the water with his second shot, but sensibly parred the par-3 12th. On the par-5 13th hole, he inexplicably found Rae’s Creek short of the green with his third shot, baffling golf fans by hitting his pitch to the right of the flag. He made a double-bogey, and he bogeyed the 14th too, and suddenly, Justin Rose and Ludvig Aberg were well in the hunt.
Rose played one of the greatest rounds in major history, making 10 birdies to make his way into a playoff with McIlroy. McIlroy had bogeyed the final hole in regulation with the tournament at his mercy. After a pinpoint approach to the first playoff hole, McIlroy sank the putt, and his heart burst. Rose’s heart broke as he suffered his second playoff loss at Augusta National.
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