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As the Ryder Cup's 2025 edition gets up and running, one golfer's net worth outshines all others. Despite Team USA's Scottie Scheffler being ranked number one in the world , it's his opponent Rory McIlroy who tops the leaderboard in career earnings. McIlroy has had a standout year, finally achieving his Career Grand Slam after an 11-year wait. His victory at the Masters , clinched after a play-off against Justin Rose , comes after two USPGA titles in the 2010s as well as one at the Open Championship and one at the US Open . Official PGA figures reveal that McIlroy is one of only two players with lifetime earnings exceeding US$100million (£74.2m), trailing only Tiger Woods. His total earnings of $107,981,766 put him more than $8m ahead of Scheffler, who ranks third on the list. In 2025 alone, McIlroy has bagged just shy of $17m in prize money. This includes three separate seven-figure sums, the largest of which - $4.5m - was awarded for his victory at the Players Championship in March . The Northern Irishman has also profited from numerous sponsorship deals, supplementing his income from tournament wins. These include, but are not limited to, endorsement contracts with Nike and Omega. According to the latest edition of the Sunday Times Rich List , he ranks as the 19th wealthiest individual under 40 in the UK, boasting an estimated net worth of £260m. Scheffler's net worth of $110m (£81m), as reported by Golf365 , is as close as any member of the US team can get. In fact, it's not far off the combined net worth of the entire American roster, estimated to be just over £305m. McIlroy isn't the only European player whose earnings outstrip their American counterparts. According to Forbes' 2024 list of the world's highest-paid athletes, Jon Rahm also pocketed a nine-figure sum, with a significant portion coming from his LIV Golf endeavours. However, some big names have declined the opportunity to join the breakaway league, including Justin Rose - the most senior player on the European team. Speaking to The Telegraph in May, Rose cited his aspirations for further major victories as a key factor in his decision. "That was a primary factor and, hey, it's almost paid off," Rose stated. "I've finished runner-up in the last two majors and would I have even been playing if I'd switched across? Who knows? I have no regrets." Other European stars boast net worths in the low seven figures. Among them is Rasmus Hojgaard, the sole newcomer on the European team, who last year became the youngest player this century to clinch a fifth victory on the European tour. McIlroy's participation in this year's Ryder Cup comes after he confessed that he is well into the "back nine" of his career. "Yeah, absolutely, back six!" he declared. "I was asked about this at The Players even before I won The Players and I said the same thing. "I don't want to be grounding out here at 50 years of age. I'll turn up and play the majors and have a nice time but you know, whenever I'm done, I'm done, whenever that is. That's certainly not right now, but I'm certainly closer to that point now than I was in 2007 when I turned pro."
