All About Rory McIlroy's Parents, Rosie and Gerry McIlroy

The golf pro, currently ranked No. 3 in the world, is the son of Rosie and Gerry McIlroy

Meet Rory McIlroy's parents.

The Northern Irish professional golfer — with 26 PGA Tour titles to his name — is the son of Rosie and Gerry McIlroy born on May 4, 1989, in Ireland.

The only child of the couple, Rosie and Gerry have supported McIlroy's golf pursuits since he was young. In fact, his father was a golfer himself who first introduced him to the sport.

“I’ll never be able to repay mum and dad for what they did," the PGA Tour icon previously said of his parents who sacrificed a lot for him to chase his dreams. "But at least they know they’ll never have to work another day. I’ll do whatever it takes to look after them.”

McIlroy, who is currently ranked No. 3 in the world on the 2024 PGA Tour, shares a close bond with his parents to this day. Both Rosie and Gerry are often seen cheering the golfer on at tournaments and posing for photos with him on the green afterward.

"The pride that they feel when I do well, I can feel that and I can sense that," McIlory said of his mom and dad in April 2017. "When you're 10 or 11 or 12 years old, you don't realize the sacrifices that they're making for you." He continued, "But once you get older, and you know a bit more about the world, you realize how much sacrifice they made for you."

Read on to learn more about Rory McIlroy's parents, Rosie and Gerry McIlroy.

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They are from Northern Ireland

Gerry McIlroy is from Northern Ireland and grew up in public housing outside Belfast, a short distance from Holywood Golf Club where he honed his skills in the sport and later played at a scratch-handicap level.

Rosie, too, is from Northern Ireland. She grew up in Taghnevan before eventually moving to Belfast where she met Gerry. The couple later moved to Holywood, which is where they raised McIlroy.

"My home town, Holywood, Northern Ireland, is a picturesque little coastal town with very welcoming people, superb restaurants and homely pubs," the PGA golf champ said of the town when describing it to The Independent in 2015.

Gerry coached Rory and caddied for him

Gerry influenced McIlroy's interest in golf at a young age. So young, he was still in a stroller when his dad would take him to the golf range to simply "soak up" the scenery and sound of the ball "coming into contact with the head of a club," per The New York Times.

McIlroy received his first plastic golf club when he was 21 months old and became obsessed with hitting the ball. At around age four, Gerry recognized his son's gift and let coach Michael Bannon steer his talents in the right direction.

Bannon, though, praised Gerry's coaching techniques when the young player was starting out. "His dad adjusted the pars on the golf course,” he said of the "smart" tactics McIlroy's father used to keep his spirits high when learning.

Gerry also caddied for McIlroy until he was 17 years old, traveling with him early in his career.

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They worked multiple jobs so Rory could pursue golf

McIlroy has been open about the many "sacrifices" his parents made for him throughout his childhood to support his dream of becoming "the best golfer in the world." Gerry and Rosie worked several jobs and countless hours, allowing him to pursue his passion.

“I wasn’t aware at all of the sacrifices my parents made,” McIlroy told The Open in October 2022. “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.”

Rosie worked graveyard shifts at a factory, per ESPN, while Gerry worked three jobs. "They basically never saw each other," McIlroy explained of his parents. "We didn't take a family holiday for over a decade."

McIlory told The Open that he'd never be able to "repay" his parents back for what they've sacrificed for him, but he confirmed that "they’ll never have to work another day" because he'll "do whatever it takes to look after them.”

They 'never pushed' Rory to play golf

McIlroy has made clear that pursuing golf at the highest level was always his dream, not one forced on him by his parents. “I was never pushed into it in any way,” McIlroy told The Open in October 2022.

“If anything it was the other way around. I had to drag my dad out to the golf course so I was never pushed into playing golf," he continued. "It was always my ambition, my dream, I had to drag my dad out to the golf course to play so it was pure, pure joy and pure passion for me.”

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They are Rory's 'best friends'

As Gerry and Rosie's only kid, McIlroy shares a special bond with them. "I'm an only child, so I was always so close with my parents growing up," he said of his mom and dad in 2017. "They are like best friends. I can tell them anything, lean on them, ask them for advice," he added.

McIlroy also turns to his parents to keep him grounded amid the pressures of competing on the PGA Tour. "Even to this day, they're the two people in this world that I can talk to about anything," he told the Belfast Telegraph in July 2014.

"I couldn't ask to have two better parents," he continued. "They're there for me at the worst of times, like this time last year after missing the cut, or the best of times, walking off as the champion golfer of the year."

He added, "I can't speak highly enough of my parents. They're the best people in the world."

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