What is Tiger Woods’ net worth and how does it compare to Rory McIlroy?
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are both among the most successful golfers in history, but their monetary fortunes couldn’t be further apart as they both seek Open glory at Royal Troon. Tiger Woods has a reported net worth that is five times greater than his professional rival Rory McIlroy, despite some similarities in their career…
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are both among the most successful golfers in history, but their monetary fortunes couldn’t be further apart as they both seek Open glory at Royal Troon.
Tiger Woods has a reported net worth that is five times greater than his professional rival Rory McIlroy, despite some similarities in their career paths.
Woods, who hails from Florida, turned pro in 1996 at the age of 20 after excelling in junior, college, and amateur golf. Just a year later, he clinched his first major win at the 1997 Masters at Augusta National, beating Tom Kite by a staggering 12 strokes and finishing with an overall score of -18. By June 1997, less than a year after turning pro, Woods had ascended to world No. 1 status – a position he later held for an uninterrupted 264 weeks between 1999 and 2004. Over the years, Woods has amassed an impressive collection of golfing trophies and hefty prize money. His victories include five Masters, four PGA Championships, three US Opens, and three Open Championships.
However, his success hasn’t been limited to the golf course. The now 48-year-old has enjoyed profitable sponsorships with big names like Nike and Monster Energy, while EA Sports featured him as the face of their PGA Tour titles from 1998 to 2013. According to Forbes, Woods currently boasts an estimated real-time net worth of $1.3 billion (£1 billion), a testament to his extraordinary career, even though it has waned slightly in recent years. To put it into perspective, that’s over five times the reported net worth of 35-year-old McIlroy, who despite a rise to fame early in his professional playing days, has a reported $255 million (£196 million) to his name.
McIlroy turned pro at just 18 in 2007, before winning the US Open by 2011 and the PGA Championship in 2012 – catapulting him to the world No. 1 spot. The Northern Irish golfer added an Open Championship and a second PGA Championship to his trophy cabinet in 2014 and has since accumulated 26 PGA Tour wins, 17 European Tour victories, and three World Golf Championships.
Despite his last major title being the PGA Championships at Valhalla a decade ago, McIlroy has consistently shown promise of returning to glory – most recently missing out on a second US Open last month when Bryson DeChambeau pipped him to the post. Like Woods, McIlroy has also benefited from a number of lucrative sponsorships throughout his career, partnering with brands such as Nike, Omega, and TaylorMade. In addition, EA Sports replaced Woods with McIlroy for their 2015 edition of the PGA Tour video game, further boosting McIlroy’s fame and fortune.
This week, the two titans of golf will compete head-to-head at The 152nd Open at Royal Troon, each aiming to secure another major title. Woods, who has previously won The Open at St Andrews twice and once at Royal Liverpool but never at Troon, will be playing the first two rounds alongside Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. McIlroy, whose only Open Championship triumph was in 2014 at Royal Liverpool where he finished 17 under par, leaving Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia two strokes behind in T2, has also yet to claim victory at Troon. He’s hoping to end a decade-long major drought this weekend, playing the first two rounds with Max Homa and Tyrrell Hatton.