How Ryder Cup champ Rory McIlroy went from scrawny teen to ‘hot’ Ronaldo-like gym buff… with help from Man City guru
HE’S gone from a scrawny, spotty teen to a gym obsessive who would make even Cristiano Ronaldo look like a part-timer.
Rory McIlroy looked every inch the ordinary kid when he first hit the headlines in 2005 aged 16, setting a new course record on the Dunluce link of Portrush Golf Club.
With a mass of curly hair, often sprouting from a baseball cap while wearing an archetypal diamond jumper, sweet-cheeked Rory couldn’t hold a plank for longer than 30 seconds.
But over the years the 34-year-old has honed his body, piling on 20 pounds of pure muscle and working out for 90 minutes a day five days a week.
His ripped torso, stunning wife and deals with brand giants like Nike, Omega and NBC Sports have made him a household name. And with an estimated wealth of £200million, he is up there with the highest-earning sports stars – like Ronaldo.
McIIroy was the first golfer to ever grace the front cover of Men’s Health magazine in 2015, and after leading team Europe to victory in the Ryder Cup this weekend he has women – and men – swooning over his ripped body.
One X (formerly Twitter) user described the golfer as “my personal perfect balance of sexy and odd looking”.
After his already infamous blow-up in the car park with a Team USA caddie went viral, another penned: “Never considered Rory McIlory to be fit until right now.”
A third user confessed: “Breaking my silence. Rory McIlroy is hot.”
McIIroy’s gruelling workout regime includes deadlifts, pull ups, planks, lunges and medicine ball throw-downs.
He increases his swing speed by powering up his shoulders with exercises called landmine presses, which involve lifting one end of a barbell.
The golfer has also been pictured doing box jumps and flipping heavy bags of 120lbs.
Put in the work
Known for his commitment to his game, McIIroy has worked hard to get to the top.
His transformation from geeky teenager to muscle man began in 2010 when he suffered a back injury.
He said: “The doctor said to me, Look, if you don’t start taking care of yourself or getting stronger, you can seriously jeopardise how long your career is. That was a wake-up call for me.
He took a month off to recover and began working with fitness guru Dr Stephen McGregor, a one-time consultant for Manchester City and the New York Knicks basketball team.
Five years later, a seriously different-looking McIIroy filmed a promotional workout video for Nike.
He said in the video: “I wasn’t really big into going to the gym and I couldn’t stand on one leg for more than 10 seconds. I couldn’t hold a plank for more than 30 seconds.
“Everyone has to start somewhere. I started at the very beginning, and I’ve worked my way up. Getting my body into the best shape for what I do, which is ultimately to go out and play golf.”
According to PGATour.com, McIIroy dropped his body fat percentage from 24 per cent in 2005 to 10 per cent in 2010, while the New York Times reported he added 20 pounds of muscle during the same period.
Perfect partner
The Northern Irishman looked like the cat that got the cream this weekend as he popped the champagne following his team’s Ryder Cup victory, but he saved family celebrations for wife Erica Stoll.
Like Ronaldo’s partner Georgina Rodriguez, who got together with the footballing ace while working in a Gucci shop, Erica lived a life away from the spotlight when the couple met.
The pair first clapped eyes on each other in 2012 when Erica, 36, was working as the manager of the Championship Volunteer Operations for the PGA of America.
McIlory nearly ruined his Ryder Cup Miracle at Medinah by oversleeping and Erica was the PGA employee who came to his rescue before police rushed him to the course.
They didn’t hook up until he infamously called off his engagement to tennis ace Caroline Wozniacki in a rumoured three-minute phone call – after their wedding invitations had already been sent out.
He said at the time: “The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realise I wasn’t ready.”
McIlroy later said: “I thought at the time being with someone that was in a similar position to you was the obvious answer but it isn’t, because you can never get away from it. You can never detach yourself and try to come back to the real world.”
Following their split, a deeply hurt Caroline threw shade at McIIroy’s 5ft 9in height, posting on Instagram that she could finally wear heels after three years.
In an American TV interview a few months later she said: “I would like a taller guy so I can wear high heels. I’m pretty strict with my box-ticking.
“I would look for someone who is honest, fun to be around and doesn’t take himself too seriously.”
Their split was all water under the bridge when he wed Erica in 2017 in a fairytale wedding in Ireland where the guests included musical legend Stevie Wonder, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and One Direction’s Niall Horan.
In August 2020, the couple welcomed their first child together, Poppy Kenney McIIroy.
His mastery of golf has seen him win big not only on the course, but with huge endorsement deals.
In 2018, he overtook Sir Andy Murray and ex-Tottenham Hotspur hero Gareth Bale as Britain’s richest sports star after signing a £74 million 10-year contract with Nike and an £82 million agreement to use TaylorMade’s clubs, bags and balls for a decade.
The golfer has previously said his “pet peeve” is when people tell him “you’re in the gym too much” because “it’s a big part of my success.”
After this weekend, who could argue with that?