In this video, Dan Parker takes a look at the career and life of Rory McIlroy. Arguably the most gifted golfer of his generation, his life on the fairways has been well documented from a young age. However, there are certain things you may not already know - we'll take a look at what they are.
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00:00 In the world of golf there are just a few players that could be described as a global superstar.
00:03 Tiger Woods heads that list and another member is Rory McIlroy.
00:08 Now with that level of fame it's easy for fans to get a lot of information about the Northern Irishman
00:13 but believe it or not there is still a lot that people don't know about him.
00:16 With that in mind here are 10 facts on the four-time major winning golfer that you may or may not know.
00:21 Firstly, Rory McIlroy's father Gerry made £100,000 from a bet he placed in 2004.
00:27 Gerry staked £200 at odds of 500 to 1 that his son, then aged 15, would win the
00:32 Claret Jug within the next 10 years, including 2014. Rory did that at Royal Liverpool, winning by two shots.
00:38 The ages of 9 and 10 were quite impressive for McIlroy. He won the Under-10s World Championship
00:42 at Doral aged 9 and at the same age he appeared on TV chipping golf balls into a washing machine.
00:47 Rory McIlroy then reportedly made his first hole-in-one at the age of 10.
00:51 In 2021 Rory became the first international player to serve on the PGA Tours policy board
00:56 when he was elected PGA Tour Player Advisory Council Chairman. Well, what does that mean?
01:01 Well, the PAC advises and consults with the PGA Tour policy board on issues affecting the tour.
01:07 McIlroy is from Hollywood in Northern Ireland, near Belfast, and he played at Hollywood Golf Club growing up.
01:12 His father Gerry was a scratch handicapper and he got Rory into the game at a young age.
01:17 In fact, both Gerry and Rory's mum Rosie took on extra jobs and shifts to help support his golf development.
01:22 In 2016 McIlroy split with his long-time caddy JP Fitzgerald. Since then McIlroy has had his
01:27 childhood best friend Harry Diamond on the back. They played golf together as juniors at Hollywood
01:31 Golf Club and Diamond was best man at McIlroy's wedding. Rory got married to former PGA of America
01:36 employee Erica Stoll in 2017. They famously met while he was running late for his tee time on the
01:41 final day of the 2012 Ryder Cup. They have one child together called Poppy.
01:46 Who coaches Rory McIlroy? Well, his first coach was Michael Bannon and the pair started working
01:50 together when Rory was just eight years old. Rory is often consulted with Pete Cowan as well,
01:55 but Bannon still remains a permanent fixture of Rory's team. McIlroy has an estimated net worth
02:00 of around $150 million and has a long long list of sponsors including TaylorMade, Nike, NBC Sports,
02:07 Omega, Optum and Workday. McIlroy is a big sports fan outside of golf. He's an avid Manchester United
02:13 fan as well as an Ulster rugby fan. He also loves his boxing and used to regularly follow Kyle
02:18 Frampton's fights. Rory is one of three men alongside Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus to
02:22 have won four majors by the age of just 25. He may still currently be in a major drought,
02:27 but that is pretty illustrious company to be in. So there you have it, 10 things you may or may not
02:32 have already known about Rory McIlroy. For more facts and tour player content, be sure to take a
02:37 look at the tour section on the Golf Monthly website.