Rory McIlroy previously stated that he was a member of 18 different golf courses.
McIlroy has had success on just about every continent over the years.
And as of this year, he added the most famous venue in golf to his list of wins. In 2025, he finally completed the career Grand Slam by winning The Masters at Augusta National.
The Augusta win was an emotional moment, but when it comes to the Northern Irishman’s favourite course, it is not Augusta that gets the nod.
Rory McIlroy picks Royal County Down over Augusta National and St Andrews
McIlroy has always been willing to travel more than most of his PGA Tour peers. For instance, recently, the 36-year-old played in the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.
Even so, he has said that Royal Melbourne is not his favourite course in Australia. And when speaking with Golf Channel, he did not pick Augusta or St Andrews either.
While playing a this-or-that game, he ended up picking Royal County Down. Holywood, where he grew up playing golf, was the last one left out.
The toughest call for McIlroy was choosing between Royal County Down and Augusta National.
Rory McIlroy still waiting for his fairytale Irish Open moment at Royal County Down
McIlroy has had two chances to play the Irish Open at Royal County Down, but neither ended the way he would have hoped. Back in 2015, when he was ranked world number one, things did not go to plan.
He opened with an 80 and missed the cut.
Nine years later, there was another letdown, though for very different reasons. McIlroy finished just one shot behind Rasmus Hojgaard after missing an eagle putt on the final hole that could have forced a playoff.
The following year brought some redemption. At The K Club, he eagled the final hole to force a playoff and went on to win his second Irish Open title.
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