Here we take a look at his career highlights so far….
•
Born
4th May 1989.
•
Aged two
hit a 40 yard drive.
•
Aged 13
won the 2002 Ulster Boys Championship.
•
Aged 14
won the 2003 Irish Boys Championship.
•
Aged 15
won the 2004 Irish Youths Amateur Championship.
•
Aged 16
became the youngest player to win the Irish Amateur Close Championship in 2005.
•
Aged 17
won the Irish Amateur Close Championship for a second consecutive year in 2006 and became European Amateur Individual Champion.
•
Aged 18
won the Silver Medal as Leading Amateur in The Open Championship in 2007, after finishing tied 42nd. Aged 18 was also the Number One Ranked Amateur.
•
Aged 18
represented Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup in 2007.
• In September 2007, aged 18
turned professional
and joined The European Tour as an Affiliate Member. Won enough money from just two events to finish in the top 115 of The Order of Merit in 2007. Was the then quickest player to achieve the feat.
•
Aged 19
won his first European Tour event at the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic, to become the seventh youngest winner in European Tour history.
•
Aged 20
became the second 20 year old to reach the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking in 2009.
•
Aged 22 and 46 days
became the youngest European Tour Major winner since The European Tour began when winning the 2011 US Open Championship and youngest winner of the US Open Championship since 1923.
•
Aged 22 years and 305 days
became the second youngest player to reach Number One in the Official World Golf Ranking, following Tiger Woods, who was 21 years and 167 days, when he first reached Number One on June 15th, 1997.
•
Aged 23 years and 100 days
wins his second Major Championship at the 2012 US PGA Championship. Becomes the youngest player to win the Championship since the tournament became stroke play in 1958. In the process moves back to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking.
• Wins two of the 2012 US PGA Tour FedEx Cup Series, the Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship, as well as the Honda Classic in March, on his way to winning the US PGA Tour Money List.
•
Aged 23 years and 191 days
claims his first Race to Dubai title. Is the youngest player to be crowned European Tour Number One since Sandy Lyle, aged 22 in 1980. Only Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle and Dale Hayes were younger winners since 1972.
• Followed Luke Donald
in 2011
by winning both money titles in Europe and the United States in the same season.
• Came from seven shots behind to win the 2014 BMW PGA Championship. Won the Open Championship,
aged 25 years and 77 days.
Becomes the third youngest player in Major Championship history to win three of the four Major Championships, behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Becomes the first European Tour Member to win three of the four Majors. Becomes the first player to win the BMW PGA Championship and Open Championship in the same year. Wins on three consecutive European Tour appearances, The 143rd Open Championship, WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and US PGA Championship.
•
Became the first player
to win both money titles in European and the United States on two occasions.
•
Wins his third Race to Dubai title
in 2015 following on from 2012 and 2014.
• The 2015 season was the second consecutive season he has recorded three or more victories on The European Tour and second overall in his European Tour career. (He won four times during the 2014 European Tour season).
• Since The European Tour’s first season in 1972 he becomes the
seventh player
to be European Tour Number One in back-to-back years. The players are, Peter Oosterhuis (1972-74), Seve Ballesteros (1976-78), Sandy Lyle (1979-80), Colin Montgomerie (1993-99), Retief Goosen (2001-02), Ernie Els (2003-04) and Rory McIlroy (2014-15).
• Since The European Tour’s first season in 1972, follows Colin Montgomerie (eight), Seve Ballesteros (six), Peter Oostheruis and Sandy Lyle (both three), as players being
Number One three or more times
.
