You will be familiar with Rory McIlroy if you follow the world of golf. The 35-year-old is one of Northern Ireland’s most prominent sports stars and was recently revealed to be the country’s richest person under 40. How much do you know about McIlroy and his gargantuan net worth in 2024? The answer is a lot more by the time you finish reading this biography.
Rory McIlroy’s Early Life
Rory McIlroy was born on May 4, 1989, in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. An only child, McIrloy’s father introduced him to golf from an early age, and he took to the sport like a duck to water. His parents held down several jobs and worked extra shifts to fund McIlroy’s golf development. All that time and effort paid dividends, with McIlroy now considered one of the best golfers of his generation.
McIlroy won several major tournaments as an amateur, and experts and golf pundits predicted he would become a significant force on the PGA Tour one day. He made his first appearance on the European Tour a few days after his 16th birthday and turned professional a year later. After earning his PGA Tour card during his rookie season, several websites offering US Open bets began offering odds that McIlroy would win one of golf’s majors before he turned 21.
Rory McIlroy’s Incredible Professional Golf Career
By the end of 2008, McIlroy was ranked 39th worldwide after finishing third in the South African Open. That result earned him an invitation to the 2009 Masters Tournament, McIlroy’s first major as a professional. In the run-up to the Master, McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic, taking him to 16th in the world rankings.
McIlroy tied for 20th in his first Masters before finishing joint-10th in his first-ever U.S. Open. Several deep runs throughout 2009 saw McIlroy finish second in the Race to Dubai, golf’s earnings leaderboard, and he climbed to a career-high world ranking of ninth.
In May 2010, McIlroy became the first player since Tiger Woods to win a PGA Tour event before his 21st birthday when he triumphed in the Quail Hollow Championship. He also finished third in the Open Championship and the PGA Championship and helped Europe win the coveted Ryder Cup later that year. The Irishman finished 2010 ranked seventh in the world.
Winning the First of His Four Golf Majors
2011 was a year to remember for McIlroy and his family because it was when he captured his first golf major. In June, he set a new course record on his way to capturing the U.S. Open title and earning $1,440,000.
McIlroy did not have long to wait before he won his second major because he came out on top in the PGA Championship in 2012. He then won the Open Championship and became a two-time PGA Championship winner in 2014, taking his major totals to four. The golfing fraternity predicted McIlroy would set new records in the sport after winning four majors in three years. However, he has yet to get over the finishing line in a major since his 2014 PGA Championship.
That is not to say that McIlroy’s performances have been sub-par because they have been anything but that. Since winning his fourth major, McIlroy has enjoyed 11 top-five finishes, including four runner-up finishes.
To date, his PGA Tour record reads 252 events played, 26 victories, 11 runner-up finishes, 11 third-place finishers, 78 top-five finishes, and 123 top-ten finishes, and he has made the cup 222 times. McIlroy’s official prize money from the PGA Tour alone tips the scales at $90,130,223.
Rory McIlroy’s Personal Life and Net Worth
McIlroy is a big sports fan outside of golf, with association football being his favorite non-golf sport. He is a keen supporter of Manchester United, something he revealed after winning the 2014 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. Spectators jokingly booed him, as Manchester United and Liverpool are fierce rivals.
McIlroy’s love of football cost him a place at the 2015 Open Championship because he injured ankle ligaments playing football with his friends and fellow golfers.
In 2012, McIlroy was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s New Year Honors for services to sport.
The Irishman dated tennis star Carolina Wozniacki from 2011 to 2014, and the couple got engaged on New Year’s Eve of 2013. However, McIlroy called off the wedding on May 21, 2014, citing that he was not ready for the commitment of marriage at that time.
He began dating PGA of Maerican employee Eric Stroll in 2015. They got engaged later that year and married in April 2017. The couple have a daughter named Poppy. McIlroy filed for divorce in May 2024, but the divorce was voluntarily dismissed a month later in time for the 2024 US Open. McIlroy said, “Over the past few weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.”
In 2024, the Sunday Times published its annual rich list, and McIlroy was revealed to be the wealthiest under-40 person in Ireland. According to the Sunday Times, McIlroy has amassed a fortune of £225 million ($284.7 million ). McIlroy pulls in tens of millions of pounds annually from lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, TaylorMade, Omega, and others.
Although a wealthy man, McIlroy has some distance to make up to become Northern Ireland’s richest person. That title is bestowed on Lady Ballyedmond and her family; they have a net worth of £914 million ($1.16 billion). Lady Ballyedmond is the heiress of Norbrook Group, a company specializing in veterinary pharmaceuticals.
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