Rory McIlroy named one golfer he could never beat as 27-year-old who quit the sport

Rory McIlroy has won all there is to win in the sport of golf but admitted there was one man who he could never get the better off.

McIlroy completed his long-awaited career grand slam back in 2025, finally winning The Masters at Augusta National after a nervy play-off against fellow Brit Justin Rose.

The Northern Irishman wasn’t always the top golfer on the course however, revealing one man he could never beat during his time as a junior.

McIlroy named American Philip Francis as the player who fell by the wayside during a 2024 interview and claimed he was ‘unbeatable’.

“He was from Scottsdale, Arizona,” he told Normal Sport.

“I finished second and third to him all of my teenage years. Like, you just could not beat this guy.

"He went to UCLA. He won the U.S. Junior, I think. He won the U.S. Junior Am.

“And I thought this kid was unbeatable. That's probably the biggest one, I think."

Philip Francis quit golf aged 27 (Getty)

Indeed, Francis had a stellar amateur record and was tipped to become one of the top players in the country, winning four consecutive Junior Golf Championships between 1999 and 2002.

He made the cut in PGA Tour events as early as 2008 but opted against turning pro straight away, focusing on attending college with a scholarship at UCLA.

Francis turned pro in 2011 but missed the cut in five out of six PGA Tour appearances. Just four years later, he quit the sport entirely after missing out on a tour card by just one shot.

The American claimed he lost his passion for the sport during his time in college and now focuses on his new career working with bitcoin.

“I started losing some passion for the game in college,” he told A Life in Golf.

"I started to become very technical with my golf swing and that led me down a dark path of not enjoying the same game I grew up loving.

“(My old coach) taught me there is a lot more to life than chasing a white ball being hit around a golf course.

"I think because of that I was able to transition into something completely foreign very efficiently and easily

Francis added: "I would love to potentially play some higher level of amateur golf again.

"I miss the competitive nature of being in the heat of the moment."