Rory McIlroy, like almost all elite-level professionals dominating the sport in 2024, was hooked on golf because of Tiger Woods’ exploits in the mid-2000s.
Woods’ numbers through the 2000s were unlike anything seen before. The American’s dominance, particularly in the most significant events, saw him become the poster boy of the sport, a title which arguably still remains to this day.
Woods is responsible for many of the game’s big-name players falling in love with golf. Tiger bounding down fairways wearing his famous Sunday red whilst closing in on yet another victory was a dream all aspiring youngsters wanted to replicate.
And for some, the vision has become a reality.
What Rory McIlroy said to Tiger Woods the first time they played together
McIlroy grew up wanting to emulate Woods, and with four majors in the bank, that dream has somewhat played out for the Northern Irishman.
For the 35-year-old, copying Woods was the goal from an early age. “I’m a young kid from Northern Ireland like half a world away from this country, the PGA Tour and Tiger, so I had a dream that one day I wanted to be like him, right?” McIlroy said in 2022.
So, when the day came for the Northern Irish prodigy to play alongside Woods at Sherwood in 2010, he was justifiably nervous.
“I played with him at his tournament at Sherwood back in 2010,” McIlroy said [Compleat Golfer.com].
McIlroy then revealed that he repeatedly said “good shot” after every single one of Woods’ shots.
He added: “I’ve never said ‘Good shot’ as much in my life playing with anyone as I did that day. It was just ‘Good shot, good shot, good shot.’ He was consistently hitting great shots the entire day and shot six under.”
“I felt pretty nervous the first few holes, but then I settled in and sort of did my thing, was playing okay. Afterwards, inevitably, you compare yourself to him and what you’ve just seen. I was thinking definitely he’s better than me there, and I can definitely hang with him there, and I need to do better with this.”
Tiger Woods vs Rory McIlroy since 2010
Since 2010, McIlroy and Woods’ careers have headed in very different trajectories. Woods, two years without a major title, would go winless in golf’s four most significant events until the 2019 Masters at Augusta National.
McIlroy would go on to win the 2011 US Open, 2012 PGA Championship, 2014 Open, and the PGA Championship once more in the same year.
| Masters Tournament | 2nd: 2022 |
|---|---|
| PGA Championship | Won: 2012, 2014 |
| U.S. Open | Won: 2011 |
| The Open Championship | Won: 2014 |
Woods’ status as the world’s number-one golfer ended in May 2014, the same year McIlroy ascended to the top of the standings. As has been well documented, the Northern Irishman is waiting to end his ten-year wait for major number five.
With the PGA returning to Quail Hollow and Open at Royal Portrush, 2025 could finally see McIlroy’s barren spell come to a close.
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