Rory finished tied for third at the 2009 PGA Championship in his first major as a 20-year-old. The event will be remembered for Y.E. Yang's defeat of Tiger Woods, but it also gave North American golf fans their first real glimpse of this budding superstar.

Rory fired a course-record 62 in the final round to win the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship. He became the first player since Tiger Woods to win before his 21st birthday. 

McIlroy claimed his first major with an eight-shot victory at the 2011 U.S. Open. His total of 268 strokes set the tournament scoring record, taking down Jack Nicklaus' number from 1980. He also became the youngest U.S. Open winner since Bobby Jones in 1923.

The Northern Irishman became the second-youngest player to reach world No. 1 with his 2012 Honda Classic title. It was his first of five worldwide wins that season.

Rory picked up another eight-shot major title at the 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island to once again break a Nicklaus record that stood since 1980. With two majors by the age of 22, he became the youngest multiple major winner since Seve Ballesteros in 1980. 

McIlroy won his lone Open Championship in 2014 at Royal Liverpool. His third major victory put him in elite company, as he joined Jack and Tiger as the only players to win three majors by the age of 25 since the inaugural Masters in 1934.

Rory beat Phil Mickelson to win the 2014 PGA Championship for back-to-back major victories, and the fourth of his career. Nicklaus said McIlroy could go on to claim 15 or 20 majors after this win.  

After a few close calls, Rory took home his first FedEx Cup in 2016 and the lucrative $10-million payday that comes with it. He won the Tour Championship on the fourth playoff hole to seal the season-long trophy. 

At the 2016 Ryder Cup, McIlroy took on Patrick Reed during Sunday singles, which produced one of the most memorable matches in history. Rory came up short, as did Europe, but this exchange with Reed will never be forgotten. 

Rory knocked off the game’s best field at the 2019 Players Championship to cap a string of impressive performances. His win at TPC Sawgrass was the last in his 20s, which he said marks the beginning of the second chapter of his career.