Getty Rory McIlroy and his parents
Rory McIlroy was born to Gerry and Rosaleen McIlroy on May 4, 1989. He grew up an only child in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, but that made him develop a very close relationship with his parents.
McIlroy has often spoken about the sacrifices his parents made so he could pursue his passion for playing golf and he’s shared that his father was instrumental in his learning to play from a very young age.
Here’s what you need to know about Rory McIlroy’s parents Gerry and Rosaleen “Rosie” McIlroy:
1. Rory McIlroy Was Born & Raised in Holywood, Northern Ireland, & Is Very Proud of Where He Grew Up
McIlroy’s parents are Rosaleen “Rosie” McIlroy, née McDonald, and Gerry McIlroy. They tied the knot in January 1988 and in May 1989, they welcomed their son Rory.
McIlroy grew up an only child in Holywood, County Down in Northern Ireland. The family lived in a small semi-detached home in the town just outside Belfast. According to Belfast Live, McIlroy went to school at St. Patrick’s, a Catholic primary school, followed by Sullivan Upper School.
Growing up, the McIlroy household was all about hard work and dedication, he told the publication, but the family had a lot of fun on weekends. The pro golfer is very proud of his upbringing and his hometown and often talks about growing up in Holywood.
“I’m a bit of a home bird; I’m very proud of where I’m from — there’s a sense of belonging,” he told Today’s Golfer in 2016. “Northern Ireland is a little bit like a village in that way. It’s obviously a country with nearly two million people, but at the same time it feels like anywhere I go I’ll run into someone I’ve met along the way, and no one lets me get above my station.”
He said there’s a lot of pride in Northern Ireland and his town specifically over his accomplishments. He explained that he comes from a culture of “if you work hard, you’ll succeed” mindset and they’ve seen how hard he’s worked over the years. Despite that, he shared that he isn’t treated any differently and the way he grew up has led to him feeling “very grounded.”
2. Rory McIlroy’s Parents, Gerry & Rosie McIlroy, Worked a Lot of Jobs & Made Sacrifices to Allow Him to Pursue His Passion
Rory playing w/his dad this week at @dunhilllinks. I asked @McIlroyRory about life lessons he’s learned from his dad, and his love for @TheHomeofGolf this summer on the pod.
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McIlroy’s parents both worked really hard to support his passion for golf, Belfast Live reported, with his mother working the night shift in a factory and his father working as a bartender. According to the publication, his father worked from noon to midnight first as a bartender at the Holywood Golf Club followed by bartending at a sports club in the evenings.
All the money they earned went toward their son and his golf tournament fees. His father Gerry McIlroy told the publication, “I am a working-class man and that’s all I knew – to get the money we needed for Rory to be able to learn and compete at golf.” McIlroy told Belfast Live that their schedules meant his parents almost never saw each other and that they “didn’t take a family holiday for over a decade.”
He told The Open that when he was growing up, he didn’t really realize that his parents were making so many sacrifices for him. He said it was just the way he grew up and it felt normal to him. “You don’t realize it at the time, but when you get a little older you start to realize, ‘OK this isn’t normal what they did for me,'” he shared. “It really took me until probably when I turned pro at 18 when I started to make my own money that I realized the sacrifices they made and how hard they worked and what they allowed me to be able to do.”
He told the publication that he can feel his parents’ pride when he does well in his career now and it’s the best feeling in the world. “I’ll never be able to repay Mum and Dad for what they did, but at least they know they’ll never have to work another day,” he told Belfast Live. “I’ll do whatever it takes to look after them.”
When discussing their sacrifices in an interview with Golf, he said both of them gave up so much for him to pursue a professional golf career and they did it without knowing if he’d ever make it. According to the New York Times, by the time McIlroy was 15 and qualified for his first pro event, his father was also working mornings cleaning the locker rooms at the rugby and cricket club in addition to his two bartending jobs.
3. Rory McIlroy Began Playing Golf as a Toddler Thanks to His Father, Who Also Played
McIlroy has always made it clear in interviews that his parents never pushed him in any direction and they were simply supportive of his dream to play golf. Belfast Live said McIlroy was 8 years old when he announced that he was going to become the greatest golfer in the world. At that point, he’d already been playing nearly his whole life, thanks to his father introducing him to the sport.
According to the publication, Gerry McIlroy was a good golfer himself and he often went to the golf course to hit balls with baby McIlroy in his pram next to him. By the time he was 2 years old, his parents had gifted him plastic clubs and balls but he began hitting the balls so hard that his clubs broke and his father then gave him a real club. McIlroy asked his father to take him to the golf course every day and couldn’t get enough of playing.
“When I was growing up, my dad worked at a sports club and on Saturdays, I would go there with him,” McIlroy shared with Today’s Golfer. “At the end of the club, there was a bar top with a little hole in it, a little hole about six inches wide. I’d bring my wedge and I’d try to chip balls into that hole from maybe 20 yards away.” He said he’d play outside regardless of the weather, in rain and freezing temperatures, but no matter what, he associated his early days of playing golf with his father.
McIlroy said that when his dad gave him his first real golf club, he had put little marks on the grip to show him where to place his hands and fingers. McIlroy recalled in an interview with Golf that he took the golf club to his bed and fell asleep holding the right grip in the hopes that he’d wake up and it would feel like a natural grip.
4. Rory McIlroy Said He’s So Appreciative of His Parents’ Sacrifices & Wants to Give Back to Them as Much as He Can
Now that McIlroy’s an adult, he shared with Belfast Live that he sees them as his best friends. “I’m an only child, so I was always so close with my parents growing up,” he said. “They are like best friends. I can tell them anything, lean on them, ask them for advice.”
He recalled winning the Open Championship and how special it was to win the Claret Jug in front of his parents in 2014. “I holed my final putt … and then as I was walking off the green I saw my mum come through the little tunnel underneath the grandstand,” he shared with The Open. “She didn’t want to come onto the green and I waved her on because she’s not very big on being in the spotlight or having the attention put on her.”
He said his father was there for his past two major wins, the U.S. Open in 2011 and the PGA Championship in 2012, but it was the first time his mother was there to see him win a major. “She was in tears, going everywhere, and it was a really nice moment,” McIlroy confessed. “I found it difficult not to cry when I saw her walking towards me with tears in her eyes but it was such a special moment, and it was so nice to share that with her and obviously that’s a moment that’s going to live in my memory for the rest of my life.”
He said all of the sacrifices they made for him growing up made it so much sweeter that he was able to win this major, the one he’d always dreamed of as a child, in front of them.
“To be able to give back to them in some way, you know I’ll never be able to give them what they gave me,” he said. “They obviously don’t have to work any more and they spend half of the year in Florida and they spend half of the year back home here.” He said their life is really good now but it’s deserved because of how hard they worked.
5. Gerry McIlroy Bet on His Son Winning The Open Championship & He Made a Lot of Money
McIlroy’s father always believed in him and he put his money where his mouth was many years ago when he bet on his son. Gerry McIlroy and a few friends decided to bet on the golfer to win The Open Championship within the next 10 years, and each person put around £100 on it.
“My dad’s always been the biggest believer in me, the biggest believer in my ability, and you know he always saw the potential from a very early age,” McIlroy shared with The Open. “He obviously had believed in me, his friends believed in me and they put a little bet on and they obviously got very good odds back then for me to win The Open within the next 10 years.”
He said the bet was 500-1 and each person put in around £100. “I think they won 50 grand each, I think they won 200 grand overall, so it was a good return on not such a big bet!” he shared.
The two are very close and McIlroy said if he had to pick a foursome to play golf with for the rest of his life, he’d pick his father without a doubt. Despite that, he admitted to Golf that his father is the “perfect playing partner” only “at times” because he loves to talk. “We have played golf pretty much all over the world together, and again, it’s one of the great things about this game that we can do that,” he said.