After Winning The Masters, Rory McIlroy Joins Tiger Woods As The Only Golfers To Surpass $100 Million In PGA Earnings

On the final Sunday of the 89th installment of the Masters, Rory McIlroy was in the midst of a golfing roller coaster. The PGA star held a four-stroke lead with just eight holes left to play. Yet thanks to a couple of tough breaks and a bogey on the 18th, McIlroy ended up in a playoff with Justin Rose, who made a furious comeback to tie things up.

For a moment, it looked like McIlroy, who had never won a Masters before, might finish with another "close, but no cigar" finish. But this time was different. He composed himself and birdied the first hole of the playoff, finally capturing the elusive green jacket given to winners of the event.

McIlroy became just the sixth player in PGA Tour history to complete a career Grand Slam. Only McIlroy, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods have won the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and The Open Championship.

The victory makes McIlroy and Woods part of an even more exclusive club: They're the only players to make over $100 million in PGA Tour earnings.

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Per the PGA Tour's earnings tracker, McIlroy has has made $104,246,906 in career PGA Tour earnings. Only Woods has earned more, raking in $120,999,166 on the PGA Tour.

McIlroy is ahead of Phil Mickelson, who's in third place with $96,685,635 on the PGA Tour circuit. However, Mickelson has been one of the most outspoken critics of the PGA Tour's operations. He signed a massive deal to play with LIV Golf, the league backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The league reportedly signed Mickelson to a $200 million deal to abandon the PGA Tour and come play with LIV Golf instead.

As LIV Golf formed and started poaching golfers from the PGA Tour, McIlroy and Woods were among the older league's vocal supporters. In an ironic twist, the formation of LIV Golf likely got McIlroy to the $100 million earnings mark ahead of schedule. The PGA Tour, trying to maintain competitive with LIV Golf's seemingly bottomless pockets, has raised the purse for golf events in recent years.

McIlroy was visibly emotional after winning the Masters and completing the Grand Slam. It was the culmination of decades of preparation on his game. To hit nine figures in career earnings is just another cherry on top of the trophy.