Tiger Woods holds many records in his name. With 82x PGA Tour victories, he is tied with Sam Snead for the most wins in the organization’s history. Besides that, he has 15 major wins on the professional circuit and 18 overall. In both cases, he is only behind the legendary Jack Nicklaus, who has 18 and 20 wins, respectively. Moreover, he has won most victories in 6 different events, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Farmers Insurance Open, the BMW Championship, and others. He also holds the lowest actual scoring average, which was 68.17 in 2000. He surpassed Byron Nelson, who had 68.33 in 1945. However, there’s one record of the World No. 2, Rory McIlroy, that even Tiger Woods has failed to achieve.

Revealing the record, Jamie Kennedy, Director of Digital Content, Golf Digest, shared an X post, writing, “Rory McIlroy has at least one major top-10 in each of the last 17 years. No one else has a streak longer than 6.”

The last time McIlroy missed top-10 finishes in all 4 majors in a year was in 2008. In fact, he didn’t play in all four majors in 2008, as it was only 2nd year since he turned pro. The only major event he played in was the 2008 Open Championship, when he was in the final qualifying rounds.

Since then, the Northern Irishman has had a top 10 finish in at least one major event. In 2009, he achieved this at the US Open, where he finished T10. Then, he finished T3 in both the Open Championship and the PGA Championship in 2010. He won his maiden major title in 2011. With rounds of 65-66-68-69, Rory McIlroy finished at 16 under par to win the US Open. 2012 brought his second major title in the form of the PGA Championship. He won with a score of 13 under par.

The Irishman continued his form at the PGA Championship in 2013, too, by finishing at T8. Then came his best year in terms of major wins. He got his hands on two major titles in 2014, the PGA Championship and the Open Championship. Besides that, he also finished T8 at the 2014 Masters. In 2015, 2016, and 2017, Rory McIlroy’s best major performances came in the Masters (solo 4), the Open Championship (T5), and the Open Championship (T4), respectively.

2018 brought another excellent year for the 2x PGA Championship winner. He made it to the top 10 at the Masters and the Open Championship. Then in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, McIlroy’s best major performances were the PGA Championship (T8), the Masters (T5), the US Open (T7), the Masters (2), the US Open (2), and the US Open (2), respectively. His long wait to win the Masters and complete his career Grand Slam came in 2025 with the Masters win. With this, he has made it to the top 10 in at least one major event for the past 17 years, and could probably continue to do so for many more.

McIlroy has recorded 32 top-10 finishes from 64 major appearances in his career. It is a 50% top-10 rate, which demonstrates remarkable consistency. He has a total of 5 major wins, including the 2025 Masters, with a gap of 11 years between his fourth and fifth major titles, during which he had 21 top-10 finishes. This longevity and consistency set McIlroy apart from legends like Tiger Woods.

While many other golfers, including Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Phil Mickelson, and others, have won more majors, McIlroy has been the most consistent.

The 2025 Masters win might be among the best, but it was not the only good thing McIlroy achieved this season.

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Rory McIlroy’s achievements in 2025

One of the biggest moments for Rory McIlroy in 2025 would be wearing the iconic green jacket. He won the 2025 Masters and completed his career Grand Slam. Since 2011, McIlroy has had many close finishes at the Masters. And this time, too, he had to face Justin Rose in a playoff after the regulation rounds. However, he made it past the winning line this time.

Besides the 2025 Masters, a win at the 2025 Ryder Cup is also among his achievements. What makes this win special is that it was the first win on foreign soil since 2012. Moreover, it came amidst all the heckles that McIlroy and other European stars faced at Bethpage Black.

The 2025 Masters champion also won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award for the second time. And to end it all, he surpassed his and Jon Rahm’s idol, Seve Ballesteros, by winning his 7th Race to Dubai title. He is now only one win shy of tying the all-time record of Colin Montgomerie, who has 8 Race to Dubai wins in his name.

McIlroy’s record run shows how steady and competitive he has remained through nearly two decades of major-championship pressure. With his 2025 achievements adding even more strength to his résumé, his standing in golf history looks stronger than ever.