His parents captured the moment on home video.
Three-year-old Rory McIlroy practising his swing in the living room of the family home.
At the age of nine, he appeared on Ulster Television, chipping golf balls into a washing machine.
His love of golf was nurtured by his dad Gerry, who brought baby Rory to the course in his stroller.
Recognising his talent, Gerry and mum Rosie both took second jobs to fund their son’s career.
Read more:
Rory McIlroy claims career Grand Slam with US Masters win
It paid off when he won four major championships by the age of 25, having first become world number one aged 22.
Then came the drought – 11 years of it – McIlroy putting himself, and us all, through the wringer.
Time and time again, he came close but repeatedly buckled under the weight of expectation.
Only one other player of his generation had won a career Grand Slam – Tiger Woods.
Some feared he’d never write that story, that the green jacket would never reach the Green Isle.
But in the hills east of Belfast, they dared to believe that their most famous son since footballer George Best would carve his place in history.
For the boy from Holywood, a coastal town in County Down, it’s a Hollywood ending.
