Rory McIlroy's Record in Playoffs
How many playoffs has Rory McIlroy played in pro golf tournaments, and what is his win-loss record in those playoffs? Is he good at playoffs, or not so much? Those are the questions we are answering here.
McIlroy's playoff record and success rate varies by tour. His record on the PGA Tour is very good. But on the European Tour, he has a losing record in playoffs.
With the exception of one 3-hole, aggregate score playoff, all of the playoffs that follow were of the sudden-death variety. That means the golfers participating go hole-by-extra-hole until one of them records a lower score than the others to win. If three golfers are in a sudden-death playoff, and one of them scores birdie on the first hole while the other two make pars, then the playoff is over as the birdier is the winner.
McIlroy's PGA Tour Playoff Record: 5-2
So far in his still-very-much-thriving career, McIlroy has participated in seven playoffs in PGA Tour tournaments, and won five of them. One of those playoff victories was in a major championship.These are McIlroy's PGA Tour playoffs (a W or L in parentheses indicates wins and losses):
- 2012 Wells Fargo Championship (L): A three-way playoff against Rickie Fowler and D.A. Points, which Fowler won by birdying the first sudden-death hole.
- 2014 Honda Classic (L): McIlroy was one of four players in this one, along with Russell Henley, Russell Knox and Ryan Palmer. Henley won on the first hole with a birdie.
- 2016 Tour Championship (W): McIlroy's first playoff victory on the PGA Tour was against Kevin Chappell and Ryan Moore. After Chappell went out on the first hole, Moore and McIlroy matched scores the next two holes. On the fourth playoff hole, McIlroy birdied to win.
- 2019 WGC HSBC Champions (W): McIlroy beat Xander Schauffele on the first playoff hole with a birdie.
- 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans (W): In this team tournament, McIlroy won with partner Shane Lowry. But they needed a playoff against Chad Ramey/Martin Trainer, and ended that playoff with a first-hole par.
- 2025 Players Championship (W): McIlroy won this three-hole, aggregate-score playoff over J.J. Spaun. McIlroy scored 4-4-5 (13, 1-over total) to Spaun's 5-6-x.
- 2025 Masters (W): The Masters uses a sudden-death playoff format, and McIlroy won his first Green Jacket by birdying the first extra hole against Justin Rose. Winning this playoff was how McIlroy became just the sixth man in golf history to win the career grand slam.
McIlroy's European Tour Playoff Record: 3-6
On the European Tour, McIlroy's playoff record is not as impressive as his PGA Tour mark. He has won three playoffs on the European Tour, but lost six. And two of his three wins are ones we already saw above, the PGA Tour co-sanctioned 2019 WGC HSBC Champions and 2025 Masters (hence, those two tournaments are not repeated below).- 2008 Omega European Masters (L): Before McIlroy had won on either the European Tour or PGA Tour, he played his way into two playoffs in 2008, the year he turned 19 years old. But he lost both. In this first one, Jean-Francois Lucquin beat McIlroy with a birdie on the second sudden-death hole.
- 2008 Hong Kong Open (L): And in this second one, Lin Wen-tang beat McIlroy, also with a birdie on the second extra hole. (Francesco Molinari was eliminated on the first hole.)
- 2017 BMW SA Open (L): This playoff against Graeme Storm went three holes before Storm won with a par.
- 2019 Omega European Masters (L): A five-man playoff between McIlroy, Lorenzo Gagli, Andres Romero, Kalle Samooja and Sebastian Soderberg, it ended on the first hole when Soderberg was the only one to birdie.
- 2024 BMW PGA Championship (L): A three-man playoff with Billy Horschel and Thriston Lawrence. Lawrence went out on the first hole, then Horschel beat McIlroy with an eagle on the second playoff hole.
- 2025 Irish Open (W): McIlroy and Joakim Lagergren matched scores the first two playoff holes, then McIlroy birdied the third to win.
- 2025 DP World Tour Championship (L): Matt Fitzpatrick beat McIlroy with a par on the first hole.
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