2014 PGA Championship win sees Rory McIlroy add $1m to his career earnings

Rory McIlroy has become the first UK golfer to win back-to-back majors after his PGA Championship victory in Valhalla last night.

 

The Northern Irishman’s dramatic one-shot victory over Phil Mickelson comes less than a month after his triumph at the British Open in July, and makes him the third youngest player in the modern era to have won four major championships after Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.

 

And if all of that wasn’t impressive enough, McIlroy’s feat also earned him a cool $1.8m in prize money, meaning he has earned roughly $5m in winnings in the last four weeks alone. McIlroy pocketed $1.7m for his Open Championship win and $1.53m for last week’s victory at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.

 

 

As the above graph demonstrates, 2012 was McIlroy’s most successful year on the course since turning pro in 2007, with his first victory at the PGA Championship – and second major championship victory – the highlight.

 

2013 wasn't such smooth sailing on the course however, as McIlroy struggled to adjust to new clubs provided by Nike in a sponsorship deal reportedly worth $100m over five years. The golfer’s game suffered, but his bank balance had never been healthier.

 

After such a successful season on the course this year, McIlroy’s sponsorship income is likely to get bigger and bigger. The 25-year-old is currently the bookies’ favourite to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award later this year as his profile continues to grow.

 

The 25-year-old ranked 35th on Forbes’ most recent list of the world’s highest paid athletes, behind fellow golfers Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. The list counted total sponsorship earnings and winnings between June 1 2013 and June 1 2014 – ending before McIlroy’s recent success. His total earnings for the period stood at $24.3m, so expect curly-haired expert to finish higher on the list next year.

 

McIlroy has also benefitted from the $2m increase in the PGA prize money from $8m to $10m this year, making it the most generous competition in golf (the US Open and British Open both have a $9m purse). Runner-up Mickelson may have found solace in his $1m winnings, while even 74th ranked Rafael Cabrera Bello went home with a respectable $18,000. More than 23 players picked up six or seven-figure sums at Valhalla, compared to just 11 at the British Open.