Race to Dubai prize money: Rory McIlroy will take 2015 earnings to £7.8m with win at DP World Tour Championships
If Rory McIlroy triumphs at the DP World Tour Championships in Dubai this weekend he will not only earn £980,000 in prize money but also an additional £1.2m bonus for winning the the Race to Dubai, the European Tour's order of merit.
The world No3 is currently in pole position to top the Tour's money title list for the third time in four years but is only narrowly in front of fellow Brit Danny Willett heading into the season's final tournament.
McIlroy has so far earned the equivalent of £2.4m in prize money on the European Tour this season, but could boost that total to £4.6m should he secure both the DP World Tour Championships and Race to Dubai paycheques.
Added to PGA Tour earnings of £3.2m, that would take the Northern Irishman's total earnings for 2015 to roughly £7.8m.
Such a haul would make 2015 the third highest-earning year of McIlroy's career, behind 2014 and 2012 when he earned £10.8m and £9.2m respectively.
Yet there are still six other players who could theoretically pip McIlroy to the Race to Dubai title this weekend.
A win for Willett would secure him the prize regardless of what happens to McIlroy, yet Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Byeong-Hun An will have to win and hope others finish sufficiently far behind.
After McIlroy, Rose is the only other player to have made significant money on both the PGA and European Tour.
Here's how each player could win the event:
- Byeong-Hun An – must win the World Tour Championships, hope McIlroy finishes worse then 28th, Willett worse than 27th, and none of Rose, Lowry and Oosthuizen not finish second outright.
- Branden Grace – win and hope neither McIlroy nor Willett finish second, or come second himself and hope McIlroy and Willet finish worse than 42nd and 41st respectively.
- Louis Oosthuizen – win and hope McIlory finishes worse than a three-way tie for second and Willett finishes worse than three-way tie for second, or finish as runner-up and hope McIlroy and Willet finish worse than 11th and not see either of Lowry, Rose or Grace win.
- Shane Lowry – win and hope McIlroy or Willett finish in three-way tie as runner-up or worse, or come second with McIlroy and Willett worse than eighth and hope none of Rose, Oosthuizen and Grace win.
- Justin Rose – can win with a two-way tie for second or better, but needs Willett and McIlroy to finish in a three-way tie in position below him or worse.
- Danny Willett – can win if he finishes ahead of McIlroy and avoid scenarios outlined above.
- Rory McIlroy – finish ahead of Willett and avoid scenarios outlined above.