Rory McIlroy has opened up on the career of one of his former rivals, who he deemed ‘unbeatable’ as a teenager before the golf prodigy went on to match a record set by Tiger Woods

Rory McIlroy was full of praise for the former golfer (Image: Luke Walker/Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy has confessed his surprise at the lack of success former golf prodigy Kyle Porter has had in his career, despite showing promise as a teenager by matching a record set by Tiger Woods.

Northern Irishman McIlroy is one of only three players to have won four major championships before turning 25. However, his American counterpart Porter didn’t reach such heights, even though he matched Woods’ achievement of winning four Junior World Golf Championships before turning pro.

Porter, a highly anticipated star from Scottsdale, Arizona, made his PGA Tour debut in 2007 but didn’t make the cut in his first three events. In addition to underperforming at the Jude Championship, John Deere Classic and U.S. Bank Championship, the now 34-year-old also battled injuries early in his career.

Looking back on their rivalry, McIlroy acknowledged that Porter was a formidable opponent during their teenage years. Speaking to Normal Sport, he revealed: “He was from Scottsdale, Arizona. I finished second and third to him all of my teenage years.

“Like, you just could not beat this guy. He went to UCLA (University of California Los Angeles), he continued, highlighting Porter’s dominance on the course. “He won the U.S. Junior, I think. He won the U. S. Junior Am and I thought this kid was unbeatable’.”

Porter made the cut at the 2008 John Deere Classic, but that would be his first and only time doing so in his six tournament appearances on the PGA tour. He eventually quit the sport in 2015, later revealing to A Life in Golf: “I started losing some passion for the game in college.

Philip Francis in action in 2008 ( Image: Chris Keane/Getty Images)

Philip Francis matched Tiger Woods’ record ( Image: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

“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.

In an interview with Normal Sport, McIlroy also named Ollie Fisher and Jamie Lovemark as two players he had expected to reach the top levels of the game. The Northern Irishman said: “If you would have asked anyone 20 years ago… everyone would have said Ollie Fisher was probably going to go on to have a better career than I’ve had.

“You just look at him, you’re like, this guy is like 6’4 and absolutely ripped and swings the club perfectly,” he continued, praising Lovemark’s attributes, before adding: “I don’t know. There’s so many intangibles in golf that some guys looked like world leaders at an early age. “.