How Much Did Rory McIlroy Earn in 2022?

2022 was a successful year for Rory McIlroy. From winning the Fedex Cup for the third time – surpassing close friend Tiger Woods’ two – to regaining his world number one status, the Northern Irishman had a great year and made a boat load of cash in the process.

McIlroy had three wins in the 2022 PGA Tour season. His first came in June where he successfully defended his title at the RBC Canadian Open after a classic head to head down the final stretch with Justin Thomas.

His next came in late August when he won the Tour Championship – beating Im Sung-Jae and former world number one Scottie Scheffler to the crown. In October, Mcilroy had another successful defence, this time in the CJ Cup which saw him leapfrog Scheffler and back to the top of the world rankings.

Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography

These wins netted McIlroy $28,354,566, including the $18,000,000 bonus for winning the season-long Fedex Cup – and his on course earnings don’t end there.

Alongside playing on the PGA Tour, McIlroy competed on the DP World Tour. He was crowned European number one for the fourth time, winning another Harold Vardon trophy, after a successful season – a feat only ever bettered by Colin Montgomerie and Seve Ballesteros. Not bad company.

Nine top ten finishes in his DP World Tour season, in addition to winning the Race to Dubai saw McIlroy earn €3,970,752 ($4,181,718).

In contrast, LIV Golf’s Dustin Johnson made around $36.6 million dollars last year - $35 million of which came from LIV Golf. This comprised of $18 million from being crowned LIV’s individual champion, $17 million in on-course prize money and a staggering (rumoured) $125 million signing bonus. Huge numbers for far less golf played than Mcilroy.

The world number one did massively benefit from the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program (PiP), which was introduced last year to reward player’s for the positive interest they generate in the tour.

Last year, McIlroy finished in third behind Tiger Woods and Phil Mickleson, earning $3.5 million. This year, he finished second earning McIlroy an extra $12 million on top of his course earnings – once again only beaten by Tiger Woods.

McIlroy is also one of the highest sports earners in terms of endorsements and sponsors from the likes of Taylormade and Nike.

Taking all of this into account, McIlroy earned around $44,536,284 on the course (including bonuses) in 2022. That is $122,017 a day - £84.73 a minute!

You’d think after everything he’d be the highest earning golfer of 2022 but he’s not.

Despite only playing nine round of competitive golf in 2022, 15-time major champion Tiger Woods was still the highest earning golfer of the year, with $68 million from his lucrative sponsorship deals.

These eye-watering figures still pale in comparison to stars of other sports’ earnings, like Lionel Messi.

The Argentinian star, who inspired his team to win the World Cup, was sport’s biggest earner in 2022. Messi’s earnings for just one year are estimated to come in at $130m, a full $9m ahead or basketball star Lebron James in second place. And that is without taking into account any bonuses he will have receiving for his emotional and brilliant performances in Qatar.

Basketball players, American footballers and footballers dominate the top 10 on the recent money list. But there are a couple of surprises. Roger Federer, who did not hit a tennis ball in anger and has now officially retired, earned $91m.

So what is next for Rory in 2023? Will he remain world number one? Will he finally win the Masters and complete the grand slam?

Let us know what you think in the comments.

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