When Rory McIlroy appeared as a guest on “New Heights,” the podcast hosted by brothers Travis and Jason Kelce, McIlroy fans learned a few new nuggets about the golfing great, including his lack of familiarity with Mount Rushmore.
When McIlroy was asked to name his Rushmore of golf courses, he needed to clarify that meant four, not fully understanding the reference to the majestic South Dakota mountains with the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln carved into them.
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“I should probably know that,” McIlroy said.
“We’ve never asked that to someone not from America,” Travis said, breaking into laughter. “That’s so good.”
Rory McIlroy takes questions at a news conference after the pro am ahead of the 2026 Truist Championship at Quail Hollow Club.
McIlroy thought quickly on his feet and determined he’d pick four different geographical locations. He chose Kingston Heath on the Melbourne Sandbelt of Australia, Royal County Down in his native Northern Ireland, Pine Valley in New Jersey and Cypress Point in California.
“That’s so hard because I’m leaving out so many great golf courses,” McIlroy said. “It’s hard to do four but those would be the four off the top of my head.”
“You took us around the world, so, that’s pretty dope,” Travis said. “You gave us four that I haven’t played yet.”
No. 13 at Kingston Heath in Victoria, Aiustralia (Photo: Visit Victoria/Gary Lisbon)
Hard to argue McIlroy’s selections, though we can always quibble, which have the following ranking on Golfweek Best lists:
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Kingston Heath: It’s not even No. 1 in Australia as that honor is bestowed to Royal Melbourne — and at T-21 on the Golfweek’s Best International Courses list our panelists might object.
Royal County Down: No argument here. It ranks first on Golfweek’s Great Britain and Ireland Classic Courses list as well as the overall Golfweek’s Best International Courses list.
Pine Valley: A perennially No. 1 for the U.S., it has slipped to No. 2 on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list in recent year but still about as good as it gets.
Cypress Point: Who passed Pine Valley? Cypress Point, that’s who! The 18th hole gets picked on for not being a great finishing hole but if you ever get a chance to play Cypress Point, don’t even think about it, just say yes.
Stewart Hagestad reacts after winning his match on the 15th hole during singles at the 2025 Walker Cup at Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, California.
A social media post got the armchair architects among us chattering.
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Golf Digest Australia’s Brad Clifton wrote: Royal Melbourne must be fifth.
Score Golf Lorne Rubinstein chimed in: He’s missing Royal Dornoch but maybe he’s not been there.
Art Stricklin had a suggestion or two: Might replace Kingston Heath with Merion or maybe Oakmont, but very strong list.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Rory McIlroy names his top four golf courses from around the world
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