Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy overcame elimination threats at the Houston Open, ultimately finishing tied for fifth and earning $337,844. With this, his total prize money surpassed $100 million, making him the second player to achieve this milestone after Tiger Woods. In recent years, as the prize money on the PGA Tour has significantly increased, McIlroy has earned over $24 million in the past two seasons, reaching the peak of his career. With Woods nearing fifty and struggling with health issues, he may not be able to achieve great results again. Other young players like Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth are also steadily increasing their prize money, demonstrating future potential.
Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy overcame an early elimination scare at the Houston Open last week, performing exceptionally over the next three days with a score of fifteen under par. Although he did not win the championship, he finished in a tie for fifth place, earning $337,844 in prize money and bringing his total earnings to $100,046,906, making him the first player on the PGA Tour to surpass $100 million in career earnings after Tiger Woods.
In fact, Woods reached the milestone of $120,459,468 in prize money as early as the end of 2019, while McIlroy's total earnings at that time were only $51,030,260. With Woods facing health issues and severe car accidents, he has participated in only thirteen tournaments over the past four years, increasing his prize money to $120,999,166.
Meanwhile, as Woods' condition declined, the PGA Tour experienced significant growth in prize money, with many high-stakes tournaments becoming the norm. McIlroy earned $13,921,008 and $10,893,790 in prize money over the past two seasons, and this year, he earned $9,057,558 from the five tournaments he participated in, successfully entering the $100 million club.
As Woods approaches fifty, he may no longer create a new record of eighty-three wins, while thirty-five-year-old McIlroy is at the peak of his career and is expected to vie for the title of PGA Tour money leader over the next two years.
Notably, twenty-nine-year-old Scottie Scheffler has rapidly accumulated thirteen victories over the past three years and set a new record for single-season earnings on the PGA Tour, totaling $75,134,784. He is preceded by the suspended Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson, whose prize money stands at $96,685,635 and $75,557,026, respectively.
Among other players under forty, Jordan Spieth ranks tenth with $63,562,963, while thirty-one-year-old Justin Thomas closely follows with $62,924,964. Additionally, thirty-three-year-old Hideki Matsuyama is fourteenth with $59,887,078, and thirty-one-year-old Xander Schauffele ranks fifteenth with $57,739,743.
