Rory McIlroy became the third-youngest player in the Masters era to win three major championships in 2014. He reached that milestone by winning The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in July, aged 25.
McIlroy entered the tournament with two majors already: the 2011 U.S. Open and the 2012 PGA Championship. He led the 2014 Open from the first round through the final round, a difficult wire-to-wire achievement, and finished two strokes ahead of Rickie Fowler and Sergio García. The victory was his first Open Championship and his third major overall.
The comparison is made against Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, who had also won three majors by age 25. McIlroy then added a fourth major only weeks later by winning the 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. That victory placed him alongside Nicklaus and Woods as the only players at the time to win four majors before turning 26.
McIlroy’s 2014 season is remembered as one of golf’s strongest modern major runs: two major victories in consecutive starts, plus a WGC win between them.