With 29 PGA Tour wins to his name as of the end of 2025, Rory McIlroy has very much been a huge success in the game of golf.
Since emerging as an exciting prodigy, McIlroy took the golf world by storm and had four major wins by the age of 25.
He finally added the Masters this year to complete the career grand slam and with the shackles now off, it seems we might be in line to see some of McIlroy’s best ever golf.
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Still, like everyone else who has won multiple times on TOUR, McIlroy had to start somewhere.
The big difference between Rory and others, though, is that when McIlroy won for the first time, he won big. Very big.
Rory McIlroy’s first ever PGA Tour win
There have been some mightily impressive victories and moments from Rory McIlroy over a near 20 year career in the game.
His first major win in 2011 very much announced him on the world stage as a player who could go on and be a huge success.
However, it was the year prior at the Quail Hollow Championship (now known as the Wells Fargo Championship) that McIlroy tasted victory. And he tasted it in some style.
The young and bright Northern Irish star blitzed the field at Quail to set the tone for what would go on to be a happy hunting ground for him.
At just 20, McIlroy carded a quite remarkable final round of 62 – some ten under par – to win the event at 15 under par.
He finished four ahead of Phil Mickelson, despite being one over par for his first two rounds of the week.
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Rory McIlroy’s brilliant final round at the 2010 Quail Hollow Championship
To go round a golf course in ten under par takes some doing. To do it in a pressured environment with one of the greats of the game breathing down your neck is even more impressive.
McIlroy was simply stunning on the Sunday.
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His 62 was a course record and included eight birdies and an eagle, itself a tap in on 15 after a superb approach shot left him with mere feet to convert.
“I just got in the zone. I saw my shots and just hit them and I saw the line of my putts and they just went in,” McIlroy said at the time.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played a better round in my life.”
Much like Scottie Scheffler, if McIlroy putts well, he’s generally in contention.
At Quail Hollow in 2010, that was very much the case as McIlroy caught fire and never looked back.
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