Home / Sports / McIlroy Makes History: Masters Earnings Crown Him King
McIlroy Makes History: Masters Earnings Crown Him King
15 Apr
Summary
- Rory McIlroy won his second consecutive Masters title.
- This year's Masters had a record prize purse of $22.5 million.
- McIlroy is now the highest-paid player in Masters history.
Rory McIlroy secured his second consecutive Masters title on Sunday, adding significant earnings to his career total. The 2026 Masters featured a record prize pool of $22.5 million, with the winner taking home $4.5 million. This victory has cemented McIlroy's status as the highest-paid golfer in the history of the tournament.
McIlroy's consistent high finishes, including two Masters wins since his 2009 debut, have resulted in total earnings of $13 million from this major alone. His recent win of $4.5 million surpasses the $4.2 million he earned in 2025. This financial success reflects the continually increasing prize money in professional golf.
Notably, golfers from earlier eras, such as Jack Nicklaus, do not rank as highly on the all-time money list due to substantially lower prize pots in their careers. Nicklaus earned $269,000 across his six Masters victories. Even Tiger Woods, despite multiple wins, ranks fourth with $2.07 million from his 2019 victory, less than this year's second-place finisher, Scottie Scheffler ($2.43 million).
Justin Rose, despite never winning the Masters, has accumulated $7.8 million from his appearances, securing his place on the top earners list through consistent top-10 finishes.
