ROY McILROY has overtaken Phil Mickelson in career earnings – and is edging ever closer to the €100 million mark.
The Holywood native overcame J.J Spaun in a tense Monday playoff to win the Players Championship for the second time at Sawgrass.
In doing so, he scooped a cool $4.5 million in prize money, while Shane Lowry pocketed $240,250 for his T20 finish.
Monday’s haul also saw McIlroy overtake heated rival Mickelson in total career earnings as he currently sits on $99,709,062 (approximately €91,044,046).
The American is on $96,685,635, with the Irishman behind only Tiger Woods ($120,999,166) in the all-time PGA Tour earnings list.
Both McIlroy and Spaun finished 72 holes tied at 12-under par, forcing a Monday play-off after the event couldn’t be finished on Sunday night due to poor light.
On the par-5 16th, McIlroy set the tone with a booming drive, setting up a two-putt birdie, while Spaun faltered from a greenside bunker and settled for par.
The turning point came at the infamous par-3 17th, where Spaun’s tee shot found the water, resulting in a triple bogey.
McIlroy, despite making bogey, took full control of the playoff as he lead by three-strokes heading down 18.
The 35-year-old played conservatively as both players missed right off the tee, but the four-time major winner managed a bogey – enough to secure the title.
This marks McIlroy’s second victory of the season, following his triumph at Pebble Beach in February.
Speaking after the triumph, the Holywood hotshot admitted that it was the most nervous he has been in a long time.
He said: “Honestly, standing over that tee shot on 16, it’s the most nervous I’d been in a long time.
“So, I think that will stand to me, feeling like that – being able to hit the golf shots that I need, while your stomach is not feeling great and legs are a little shaky, and your heart-rate is racing.
“To have to go through that today – it’s nice to have that in recent memory for some of the tournaments coming up, for sure.”
It places him in good stead ahead of the start of The Masters at Augusta on April 10.
And eyes will be on whether he can carry this momentum and finally secure the elusive Green Jacket.
McIlroy finished in a tie for 22nd in 2024, a year that also saw him suffer excruciating defeat to Bryson DeChambeau at the US Open.
And speaking to the BBC back in January, he outlined how the Green Jacket is one of three prizes he wants to get his hands on by the time he retires.
He said: “Winning The Masters, winning an Olympic medal and another away Ryder Cup, they are my three goals for the rest of my career.
“I’ve realised that all I can control is myself.
“What’s right for me right now is to fully focus on myself and to get the best out of myself and get back to winning the biggest tournaments in the world.
“I’ve been agonisingly close for the past few years, without being able to get it done and that that is the main focus of this year.
“All of my practice, all of my prep, even the tournaments that I’m playing, it’s all geared towards being ready for those four events.
“Augusta is Augusta.
“I’ve gone through my stats and there are a couple of things that were pointed out to me that I could definitely get better at – certain little shots around the greens.”
