Rory McIlroy was regularly beaten by Philip Francis in the junior ranks.

Philip Francis was branded ‘unbeatable’ by Rory McIlroy but no longer plays golf (Image: GETTY)

A golfer who has received glowing praise from Rory McIlroy has taken up a very different career path after stepping away from the PGA Tour. Philip Francis was touted as the next big thing in golf after matching an impressive junior record set by Tiger Woods.

The man from Arizona won four straight Junior World Golf Championships to equal Woods’ record and looked to have a bright future ahead of him. He also regularly got the better of McIlroy, who described him as ‘unbeatable’ while recalling his junior days.

“I finished second and third to him all of my teenage years,” McIlroy told Normal Sport. “Like, you just could not beat this guy. He went to UCLA and he won the US Junior, I think. He won the US Junior Am and I thought this kid was unbeatable.”

Francis now enjoys a successful career in finance after struggling on the PGA Tour (Image: GETTY)

Despite showing plenty of promise, things did not work out for Francis when he made it to the PGA Tour in 2007. His professional career got off to a nightmare start when he missed the cut at all three of his starts during his rookie season on the circuit.

Francis appeared at the St Jude Championship, John Deere Classic and US Bank Championship but failed to progress at each event. He was later hampered by injuries, which were reportedly caused by swing alterations and stopped him from reaching his full potential.

He made his first cut at the John Deere Classic in 2008 but it was the only weekend he ever reached in just six PGA Tour events. After failing to make it through Q-School in 2015, Francis stepped away from the professional game and now works in finance.

In an interview with A Life In Golf, Francis explained that his love for golf began to fade before he had even made his PGA Tour debut.