讀後心得

Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy overcame the threat of elimination at the Houston Open, finishing with a score of fifteen strokes under par to tie for fifth place, earning $337,844. This earning pushed his career prize money past the $100 million mark, making him the second player after Woods to achieve this milestone. McIlroy's earnings have significantly increased over the past two years, and he could claim the title of prize money leader in the next two years. In contrast, Woods' health has not been good, making it difficult for him to set new records. Other young players, such as Scottie Scheffler, are also rapidly rising and setting personal earnings records.

Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy successfully overcame the elimination crisis he faced at the start of the Houston Open last week, delivering an outstanding performance over the next three days with a score of fifteen strokes under par. Although he did not win the championship, he ultimately tied for fifth place, earning $337,844 in prize money, bringing his career total to $100,046,906, making him the second player after Tiger Woods to surpass $100 million in earnings on the PGA Tour.

In fact, Woods had already reached a prize money peak of $120,459,468 by the end of 2019, while McIlroy's earnings at that time were only $51,030,260. The rookie was just starting his professional career on the PGA Tour when the pandemic erupted in 2020, and Woods' health rapidly deteriorated, culminating in a serious car accident the following year. Although he was fortunate to escape with his life, the subsequent pain and the effects of aging led him to compete in only thirteen tournaments over the past four years, with his earnings rising to only $120,999,166.

As Woods gradually retires, the PGA Tour has experienced a surge in prize money, especially due to the establishment of the LIV Golf League, leading to significant increases in tournament payouts. McIlroy earned $13,921,008 and $10,893,790 over the past two seasons, and he made $9,057,558 in just five tournaments this year, successfully entering the $100 million club.

Looking ahead, Woods is about to turn fifty at the end of this year, and his chances of creating a new record with eighty-three victories seem slim; in contrast, thirty-five-year-old McIlroy is in peak form and is expected to contend for the title of PGA Tour money leader within the next two years. To this day, luck has been on the side of the players, especially thirty-nine-year-old Scottie Scheffler, who has created his own dynasty during this time, accumulating thirteen victories in just three years while consistently breaking the single-season earnings record on the PGA Tour: $14,046,910, $21,014,342, and $29,228,357. Over the course of more than five years, his total prize money has reached $75,134,784, placing him fifth, while previous earners Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson recorded $96,685,635 and $75,557,026, respectively.

As for 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. Thirty-three-year-old Hideki Matsuyama has $59,887,078, ranking fourteenth, while thirty-one-year-old Sam Burns is in fifteenth place with $57,739,743.