Masters: McIlroy closes in on $121m Tiger Woods prize money target
Masters champion Rory McIlroy has closed the gap to Tiger Woods in the PGA prize money rankings after completing golf’s career grand slam on Sunday at Augusta National.
It was the Northern Irishman’s first major since 2014 and he won it with victory over Englishman Justin Rose in a play-off.
The feat at the iconic golf course in Georgia, United States saw 35-year-old McIlroy become just the sixth player to win all of the Masters, Open, US Open and US PGA.
He joins Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Woods on the esteemed list.
And the $4.2m prize he picked up for finishing first has edged him ever closer to Woods, who was the last man to complete the grand slam in 2000, in the career prize money list.
McIlroy is second on the list with $104.2m (£79m), $15m behind Woods on $121m (£91.7m), according to the PGA Tour website.
The pair are the only two to break the $100m barrier with Phil Mickelson third on $96.7m (£73.3m) and Scottie Scheffler and Dustin Johnson completing the top five – each with less than $80m on the board.
The $4.2m (£3.2m) earned for winning around Augusta National is bettered, in terms of majors, only by the US Open ($4.3m).
The US PGA bags the winner $3.6m and the Open sees the winner pick up $3.1m, while the lucrative Players Championship – which McIlroy won this year – tops the lot with $4.5m.
That victory for the Northern Irishman saw him breach the $100m prize money barrier but the growth in golfing purses makes Woods’s target all the more achievable.
McIlroy: Dream come true
“It’s a dream come true,” McIlroy said. “I have dreamt about that moment for as long as I can remember.
“Watching Tiger here in 1997 do what he did, winning his first green jacket, I think that inspired so many of my generation to want to emulate what he did.
“It feels incredible. This is my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time.
“The last 10 years coming here with the burden of the grand slam on my shoulder and trying to achieve it, I wonder what we’re going to talk about going into next year.
“I’m absolutely honoured, thrilled and proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”
Woods added: “Welcome to the club. Completing the grand slam at Augusta is something special.
“Your determination during this round, and this entire journey has shown through, and now you’re part of history. Proud of you.”