Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods walked away with significant bonus sums (Image: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy was unable to end his major championship drought in 2024, but the Northern Irishman still pocketed a huge windfall during the previous calendar year
Despite not clinching a fifth major championship in 2024, Northern Irish golfing sensation Rory McIlroy still managed to pocket over £3.5million. The Northern Irishman’s last major win was the PGA Championship back in 2014, following victories at the 2011 US Open, 2012 PGA Championship, and 2014 Open Championship.
McIlroy came tantalisingly close to breaking his decade-long drought at the 2024 US Open. He led with just four holes remaining but ended up one stroke behind Bryson DeChambeau after bogeying three of the final four holes.
However, McIlroy bounced back by winning the DP World Tour Championship and securing the Race to Dubai title. His earnings were boosted by the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Programme (PIP), which rewards players for raising the profile of the American circuit.
McIlroy’s PIP bonus was the third highest on the tour, with Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler earning £7.87m and £6.29m respectively.
Shane Lowry bagged the seventh-largest payout on the tour in 2024, a cool £2.8 million. The PIP pool’s been slashed from $100m (£82m) down to $50m (£40m) for 2024, but it’s getting replaced with the snazzy new Player Equity Program (PEP), reports the Irish Star.
This groundbreaking scheme lets pro-golfers own part of PGA Tour Enterprises. Tyler Dennis, chief officer for PGA Tour competitions, raved about the “historic” move.
“This is a first in professional sports,” he boasted, “There’s no other sports league in the world that has this significant number of their athletes as owners of their own sports organization. We’re really excited about it because ultimately we want to do what is right for the fan.”
Meanwhile, Jason Gore, PGA Tour’s EVP and chief for player relations, reckons it’s the smart play for their American circuit. He said, “Owners are motivated to think beyond their personal performance week-to-week and year-to-year.”
“They have a broader perspective of how their actions can impact the long-term health and performance of the TOUR in a positive way. One that meets the needs of our fans at every turn. It’s no longer as much ‘What’s in it for me? ‘ as ‘What’s good for fans and good for the PGA TOUR? ‘”.
