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You obviously need to know a thing or two about golf to become one of the top-ranked players on the planet. However, Rory McIlroy flexed his encyclopedic knowledge of the game he’s mastered by effortlessly identifying some of his fellow pros and a couple of other notable names just by looking at a silhouette of their swing.
Anyone who subjects themself to playing golf on a regular basis is painfully aware of the works players on the PGA Tour have to put in to master the game they manage to make look easy on a weekly basis.
That effortlessness can make it easy to forget they’ve devoted decades of their life to amassing a level of expertise the average weekend hack can never fathom. That comes from both spending countless hours honing their skills on the range and course and becoming a true student of the game, as the best players tend to be incredibly well-versed in its history while learning lessons from the greats of the past as well as their contemporaries.
That is certainly the case with Rory McIlroy, as the second-ranked player in the world routinely showcases his vast knowledge of the sport while serving as one of its top ambassadors. There’s zero doubt he knows his stuff, and he really proved that’s the case with an impressive feat ahead of the PGA Championship.
Rory McIlroy nailed a quiz where he was challenged to name golfers just by looking at their swing
McIlroy is one of the 156 players who will be competing for the Wanamaker Trophy when the PGA Championship unfolds at Aronimink Golf Club this week. It appears he’ll be battling a blister that derailed his practice round on Tuesday, but he’s still one of the favorites to get a victory as he looks for his third win at the major he last won in 2014.
He sat down with CBS Sports ahead of the tournament to take part in a couple of lighthearted challenges, including a Happy Gilmore quote quiz he nearly aced and another where he had to name golfers based on a silhouetted swing that obscured their identity.
How many golfers can Rory McIlroy identify just by watching their swing silhouette?
The results are QUITE impressive. pic.twitter.com/7HS9lO6VRD
— Golf on CBS ⛳ (@GolfonCBS) May 12, 2026
He didn’t have any trouble naming himself to kick things off, which marked the start of an impressive run where he sniped fellow pros in the form of Si Woo Kim, Jordan Spieth (who he knew just from his stance), Xander Schauffele, Michael Block, Jon Rahm, and Tiger Woods (even nailing the exact year).
The Northern Irishman was also unfazed by a couple of twists that were thrown his way, as he successfully IDed LeBron James and Charles Barkley while racking up a perfect score.
Well done.