Rory McIlroy has enjoyed a stunning career on the PGA Tour, which certainly isn’t anywhere close to being finished.
McIlroy joined the PGA Tour in 2010, but by that stage he had already established himself as one of the most exciting talents in golf.
He finished T42 at The Open Championship in 2007, while a T5 finish was secured at the 2009 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
Shortly after, a 20-year-old McIlroy appeared in his first PGA Tour event outside of the major championships and the WGCs.
The Northern Irishman featured at the 2009 Honda Classic, where he finished T13 after carding rounds of 70, 68, 71 and 69.
What Rory McIlroy said about being compared to Tiger Woods on his PGA Tour debut in 2009
Before the action started at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida that week, the youngster was tasked with discussing the one and only Tiger Woods.
Reminded by a reporter that Mark O’Meara compared him to the legendary figure, McIlroy was asked if he took that comparison with a grain of salt.
READ MORE: What happened when Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy faced off in match-play for the very first time
He replied: “Yeah, definitely. You can’t let those things sort of get into your head. But you know, it’s obviously nice for those guys to say those things about me.
“You know, it obviously fills you with a bit of confidence that you’re doing the right things, so it’s good to get all of these compliments, and you still have to go out and play good golf at the end of the day.”
What Rory McIlroy said were his earliest memories of Tiger Woods
It’s fair to say that he has indeed gone on to play some “good golf”, with McIlroy currently boasting 29 PGA Tour wins.
He is, however, well behind the iconic Woods on the all-time list, which the American tops alongside Sam Snead.
The pair have 82 wins each, although Woods may add to his PGA Tour tally if he can return from his injury nightmares.
Sharing his earliest memories of the 15-time major champion back at the 2009 Honda Classic, McIlroy reminisced: “I first saw Tiger on TV at the 1996 US Amateur. He beat Steve Scott at Pumpkin Ridge.
“And then obviously he turned pro quite soon after, and then you know, he won Las Vegas and he won a few others and then won The Masters a year after.
“So yeah, obviously any new kid that comes out is going to be compared to Tiger because he has been the best of the last ten or 15 years, and he might be the greatest golfer of all time by the time he finishes.
“So, yeah, it doesn’t bother me. You have to have someone to compare yourself against, or you always have someone that sets the bar and Tiger has been that person for the last 15 years, and if I can get anywhere close to him, I’ll be very happy.”
| Tournament | Position | Total | To par |
| World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship | T5 | – | – |
| The Honda Classic | T13 | 278 | -2 |
| World Golf Championships-CA Championship | T20 | 279 | -9 |
| Shell Houston Open | T19 | 283 | -5 |
| Masters Tournament | T20 | 286 | -2 |
| Verizon Heritage | T58 | 286 | +2 |
| The Players Championship | CUT | 151 | +7 |
| US Open Championship | T10 | 282 | +2 |
| The Open Championship | T47 | 288 | +8 |
| World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational | T68 | 290 | +10 |
| PGA Championship | T3 | 285 | -3 |
| World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions | 4 | 274 | -14 |
| OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup | T2 | 260 | -28 |
McIlroy has just enjoyed another phenomenal season on the PGA Tour, winning three times, including at The Masters.
That helped him join the exclusive list of players to complete the career grand slam, with his idol Woods fittingly on that list.
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