section_path: Professional career/2010: First PGA Tour victory, Ryder Cup debut
section_name: 2010: First PGA Tour victory, Ryder Cup debut
paragraph_text: 2010: First PGA Tour victory, Ryder Cup debut
  
  McIlroy started the year by finishing third at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in January. As the defending champion at the Dubai Desert Classic, he shot a final-round 73 to tie for fifth place. On 2 May, McIlroy shot a course-record 62 in the final round of the Quail Hollow Championship to beat Phil Mickelson by four strokes and record his first PGA Tour win. The win came two days before McIlroy's 21st birthday, making him the first player since Tiger Woods to win a PGA Tour event prior to that age. The win earned him a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
  
  At the 2010 Open Championship, held at the Old Course at St Andrews in July, McIlroy tied the course record with a 9-under-par 63 on the opening day. He ended the tournament tied for third. In August, McIlroy finished in third-place at the 2010 PGA Championship, one shot outside of a playoff between Bubba Watson and eventual winner Martin Kaymer.
  
  As an automatic qualifier, McIlroy was selected to represented Europe at the 2010 Ryder Cup. He tied his Sunday singles match against Stewart Cink, helping Europe to regain the cup by a score of 14.5–13.5. Following the Ryder Cup, he announced in November that he would return to play full-time on the European Tour, although adding that he would continue to play a limited schedule on the PGA Tour. McIlroy stated in 2012 that he regretted this 2010 decision to give up his PGA Tour card and skip the 2011 Players Championship. McIlroy's manager Chubby Chandler 's aversion to the PGA Tour was cited by McIlroy as one of the main reasons for their later professional split.
  
  McIlroy started the year by finishing third at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in January. As the defending champion at the Dubai Desert Classic, he shot a final-round 73 to tie for fifth place. On 2 May, McIlroy shot a course-record 62 in the final round of the Quail Hollow Championship to beat Phil Mickelson by four strokes and record his first PGA Tour win. The win came two days before McIlroy's 21st birthday, making him the first player since Tiger Woods to win a PGA Tour event prior to that age. The win earned him a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
  
  At the 2010 Open Championship, held at the Old Course at St Andrews in July, McIlroy tied the course record with a 9-under-par 63 on the opening day. He ended the tournament tied for third. In August, McIlroy finished in third-place at the 2010 PGA Championship, one shot outside of a playoff between Bubba Watson and eventual winner Martin Kaymer.
  
  As an automatic qualifier, McIlroy was selected to represented Europe at the 2010 Ryder Cup. He tied his Sunday singles match against Stewart Cink, helping Europe to regain the cup by a score of 14.5–13.5. Following the Ryder Cup, he announced in November that he would return to play full-time on the European Tour, although adding that he would continue to play a limited schedule on the PGA Tour. McIlroy stated in 2012 that he regretted this 2010 decision to give up his PGA Tour card and skip the 2011 Players Championship. McIlroy's manager Chubby Chandler 's aversion to the PGA Tour was cited by McIlroy as one of the main reasons for their later professional split.