GOLF
How many PGA Championship titles does Rory Mcllroy have?
The N. Irland’s golfer won the Wells Fargo Championship for a record fourth time, positioning himself for a potential third title at the PGA Champs.
On Sunday, Rory McIlroy finished the Quail Hollow tournament in North Carolina at 17-under par, beating Xander Schauffele who finished at 12-under par. McIlroy put on a masterclass display of golf, carding a six-under 65 to round out his weekend. With this performance, fans are excitedly looking forward to next week’s PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, where McIlroy is expected to perform at his best.
“Going into Valhalla in 2014, I had won my last two starts, and going into this year, I’ve won my last two starts,” McIlroy said after his win at Quail Hollow, referring to his current season record after winning at the Zurich Open and the Wells Fargo last week.
McIlroy has won the PGA Championship twice before in 2012 and 2014, out of 14 appearances. If he manages to win this year’s championship, it will be his third title at the US PGA Championships and his fifth major championship title overall. Interestingly, there is a decade difference between his previous victory and this potential upcoming win.
2014
Rory McIlroy, a four-time major champion, has not won any major title in ten years, despite being considered one of the most talented golfers. However, his return to Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, the venue where he last won a major, could be the solution to his majors drought. In 2014, McIlroy was 25 years old and was ranked number one in the world when he participated in the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. He had just won two consecutive tournaments, the Open Championship and WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, and was in great form.
McIlroy played an error-free game, much like Tiger Woods, and won the championship by defeating Phil Mickelson, who was at his peak level. His victory at Valhalla made him only the fourth golfer in the last hundred years to win four majors at the age of 25 or younger, joining the ranks of legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones, and Tiger Woods.
2012
On August 12, 2012, Rory McIlroy made history by winning his first PGA Championship title, which was held at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course in South Carolina. The championship was a major landmark in his career as he won by a record-breaking margin of eight strokes, setting a new record for the PGA Championship’s margin of victory. This surpassed the previous record of seven strokes set by Jack Nicklaus in 1980.
McIlroy began the final round with a three-stroke lead, and he played masterfully throughout the day, carding a flawless bogey-free round of 66 to distance himself from the rest of the field. This round was one of the best in PGA Championship history, and it helped McIlroy to secure his second major title, in front of David Lynn. At the time, McIlroy’s triumph at the age of 22 made him the youngest multiple-major champion since Seve Ballesteros won the 1980 Masters Tournament. The victory also helped him regain the world’s number-one ranking, which he had lost a few months earlier. Overall, McIlroy’s win at the 2012 PGA Championship remains one of the most memorable moments in his career.