So, I got thinking about Rory McIlroy’s major wins the other day. It feels like ages ago he was really racking them up, and then, well, not so much lately. Decided to actually sit down and map it out, just to refresh my own memory.
Here’s what I dug up, the actual timeline of his big wins:
- 2011 U.S. Open: That was the first one, right? At Congressional. Pretty dominant performance if I remember correctly. Really announced himself.
- 2012 PGA Championship: Kiawah Island. Another big win, by quite a few shots. Looked like he was just going to keep collecting these things.
- 2014 The Open Championship: Hoylake. Got the third leg of the Grand Slam there.
- 2014 PGA Championship: Valhalla. Went back-to-back majors that summer! That was peak Rory, felt like he was unstoppable.
Why I even looked this up…
Funny story, actually. I was watching some golf highlights last weekend. Saw Rory playing, hitting it miles like always. But he didn’t win. And my kid asked me, “Dad, hasn’t he won loads of these big tournaments?”. And I was like, “Yeah, sure he has… but wait, when was the last one?”. Couldn’t quite put my finger on it immediately.
It genuinely surprised me when I checked and realised it’s been since 2014. A whole decade nearly. Seems crazy for a player of his talent.
You see him contending all the time, loads of top 5s, top 10s in majors since then. He’s always around. But just hasn’t gotten over the line in one of the big four.
Made me think, really. It’s not just about hitting the ball well, is it? There’s something else needed to actually win these things, especially after you’ve already done it. The pressure must be immense. He had that amazing run, winning four majors pretty quickly.
Anyway, just thought I’d share what I found when I went down that little rabbit hole. It puts things in perspective, you know? He’s still an incredible player, obviously. But winning majors? That’s a tough, tough business.
