Rory McIlroy's Major Victories: A Look Back at His Six Titles

Rory McIlroy has made history with his record-breaking major victories, career Grand Slam, and back-to-back wins at The Masters. Let's revisit all six of his major titles... McIlroy was under intense scrutiny at Congressional Country Club in 2011, following his infamous collapse at The Masters earlier that year. However, he put on a dominant display, taking control of the tournament with rounds of 65 and 66 to establish the largest 36-hole lead in US Open history. McIlroy set the record for reaching 10 under at a US Open, ultimately winning by eight strokes and smashing Tiger Woods' tournament scoring record with a 16-under finish. This eight-shot victory remains the largest winning margin in the tournament's history. McIlroy's winning streak continued with another record-breaking win at Kiawah Island in 2012, which helped him reclaim the top spot in the world rankings. After a strong start, McIlroy birdied three of his first seven holes to extend his lead, and three more birdies over the last seven holes secured a stunning eight-shot victory. This winning margin was the largest in PGA Championship history, breaking Jack Nicklaus' record, and made McIlroy the youngest player to achieve two major wins since Woods. In 2014, McIlroy laid the foundations for a wire-to-wire victory at Royal Liverpool with a bogey-free opening round. He maintained his lead throughout the tournament, adding a third-round 68 with two eagles in his last three holes to take a six-shot lead into the final day. Despite a brief challenge from Sergio Garcia, McIlroy shrugged off any potential final-round collapse and extended his lead with a birdie at the 16th, securing a two-shot win over Garcia and Fowler. That summer, McIlroy added a WGC-Bridgestone Invitational title to his win at The Open before securing his fourth major success with a narrow win at Valhalla Golf Club. McIlroy's fightback on the back nine, including a stunning eagle at the par-five 10th and a birdie at the par-four 13th, helped him regain the lead. He birdied the 17th to take a two-shot lead over Phil Mickelson, and a two-putt par at the final hole secured the Wanamaker Trophy for a second time. It took 11 years for McIlroy to add to his major tally, but he finally closed out a memorable, maiden Masters triumph in 2025 via a rollercoaster final round and dramatic play-off at Augusta National. After a double-bogey on the opening hole, McIlroy took control of the tournament before dropping four shots in a four-hole stretch. However, a remarkable approach shot in the trees set up a two-putt birdie, and another birdie at the 17th gave him a one-shot buffer heading to the 72nd hole. Although he missed a five-foot putt for par and slipped into a play-off against Justin Rose, McIlroy made amends by converting a close-range birdie chance to spark emotional celebrations and complete the men's career Grand Slam. McIlroy joined Woods, Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Gene Sarazen as one of the select few to have won all four majors in their careers. After an 11-year wait for a fifth major win, and 16 years of playing at The Masters without success, McIlroy went back-to-back in 2026, becoming the fourth player to do so and the first since Woods in 2001 and '02. At the halfway stage, it seemed like McIlroy would cruise to a convincing victory, but his six-shot lead evaporated by Saturday evening. Despite losing his grip on the lead, McIlroy responded with back-to-back birdies and successive gains to perch himself at the top once more. He avoided a repeat of another play-off, closing out a narrow one-shot win with a two-putt bogey at 18. Will McIlroy enjoy more major success? Watch The Masters, PGA Championship, US Open, and The Open exclusively live on Sky Sports. Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW.