The major record.
| Year | Championship | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | U.S. Open | Congressional |
| 2012 | PGA Championship | Kiawah Island |
| 2014 | The Open | Royal Liverpool |
| 2014 | PGA Championship | Valhalla |
| 2025 | Masters | Augusta National |
| 2026 | Masters | Augusta National |
2011–2012: the breakthrough, then proof.
At Congressional in 2011, McIlroy opened with 65 and 66, then added 68 and 69. Four rounds in the sixties produced 268, sixteen under par, and his first major title. The eight-shot margin gave the result its scale; the consistent scoring across four days explains how he built it.
Two months after losing his final-round lead at Augusta, he had won a different kind of major test. Kiawah Island followed in 2012 with another eight-shot victory. The first title was no longer an isolated breakthrough.
Sources: U.S. Open scoring records, official biography and official career archive.
2014: two routes to a major.
At Royal Liverpool, rounds of 66, 66, 68 and 71 added up to 271, seventeen under par. McIlroy led throughout The Open and finished two shots ahead of Sergio Garcia and Rickie Fowler. The Claret Jug became the third different major trophy in his collection.
Valhalla asked for a comeback. With nine holes remaining in the PGA Championship, he was three behind; he recovered to win a second consecutive major. By the end of that summer, only Augusta stood between him and the career Grand Slam.
Sources: The Open’s player record and official career archive.
2025: one more hole at Augusta.
McIlroy and Justin Rose finished the 2025 Masters tied at eleven under par. Back at the eighteenth for the first playoff hole, McIlroy made birdie to win. The result gave him a fifth major and completed the set of all four men’s championships.
The career Grand Slam rewards winning each championship over a career; it does not require all four in one season. For McIlroy, the final piece arrived after the long wait since his 2014 PGA victory. He became the sixth man to complete the modern set.
Sources: PGA Tour final-round notes (PDF) and The Open profile.
2026: a successful defence.
He returned to win the Masters again in 2026, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods as the fourth player to take consecutive titles. The tally on this page covers the six major victories through that tournament.
Source: The Open profile. These major chapters were checked on 12 October 2026.