RORY MCILROY has been revealed to have a net worth of a mega £225million.
But that’s not enough for the golf superstar to be the top British sportsperson in the Sunday Times’ 40 Under 40 Rich List.
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McIlroy, 35, has hit the headline this week after announcing his shock divorce from wife Erica Stoll after seven years of marriage.
The Northern Irishman is said to have racked up earnings exceeding £65m in 2023 – despite it marking TEN YEARS without a Major win – with the bulk of his wealth coming from sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike, Omega and TaylorMade.
Despite struggling with his game, the Belfast-born golfer did pocket £1.3m for winning the Scottish Open last summer which was his biggest windfall on the course.
McIlroy’s form has seen an upturn so far in 2024, and he scooped £2.8m with a victory at the Wells Fargo Championship just last week, although that haul will does not count towards the figures.
Inside McIlroy’s whirlwind love life, including tennis champ and Meghan Markle
By Jon Boon
AND so it has run its course.
Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll, who appeared a match made in heaven, are no more.
The pair were married for seven years and share a daughter called Poppy, who was born in 2020.
But the Northern Ireland golf star surprised fans everywhere when filed for divorce in May 2024.
And it isn’t the first time McIlroy’s relationships have made the headlines – with a romantic history involving a tennis star and even Meghan Markle.
When McIlroy burst onto the scene as a fresh faced teenager, he was supported by childhood sweetheart Holly.
However, they split up after he hit the big time – with McIlroy claiming the split was “amicable.”
But Holly alleged the golfer had left her for tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.
Beginning their romance in such an unceremonious way wasn’t the ideal start with the Danish tennis beauty.
They reportedly met at a boxing match, and soon prospered as a sporting power couple with McIlroy proposing on a romantic holiday to Monte Carlo on New Year’s eve 2013.
Fancy wedding invitations were sent to friends and family, with a date set.
However, Rory allegedly dumped Caroline in a three-minute PHONE CALL – just months before their nuptials.
And it was reportedly all down to a picture Wozniaki had put on Twitter.
In 2014, McIlroy was even romantically linked with the now Duchess of Sussex, Meghan.
The pair flirted in a video shared on social media, as he helped the American actress take part in the Ice Bucket Challenge, a viral trend adopted by many celebs to raise money for ALS.
Later Markle would wax lyrical about McIlroy on her blog.
But nothing even came of it as McIlroy soon fell for Erica – who he had met in bizarre circumstances after sleeping through his alarm at the 2012 Ryder Cup.
Erica, who worked on Tour, spared McIlroy’s embarrassment as he she helped him make his tee-time thanks to a police escort.
The incident began a firm friendship between the pair, four years before their relationship turned romantic.
Soon after, the couple got engaged in Paris and walked down the aisle at Ashford Castle in Ireland in 2017.
Click here to read our full feature on McIlroy’s love life...
The Sun revealed earlier this week how McIlroy had spent £10m developing a luxury mansion in the UK before the bombshell news of his divorce filing, and has property in Dubai, Florida and New York.
However, World No2 McIlroy – who sits 13th in the overall Sunday Times list – is in the rear-view mirror of another high-profile sports star.
Seven-time Formula One world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton tops the list after amassing his own vast fortune.
Hamilton, 39, saw his net worth increase to £350m after announcing he was joining Ferrari from Mercedes for next season.
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Inside track on Hamilton’s life
LEWIS HAMILTON has driven his way into pole position as Formula One’s most prolific winner.
That ranks him as the country’s wealthiest sports star under 40, and NINTH among all people on the list.
His fortune also sees him make the main list of ALL Brits, which includes billionaires such as Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
He has sponsorship deals with Bose, Electronic Arts, Monster Energy, Tommy Hilfiger and Puma among others.
Hamilton also has ties into the movie industry – with his F1 movie starring Brad Pitt becoming one of the costliest in history – and has found himself put into the popular Fortnite video game.
The ex-McLaren ace ranks ninth overall in the list and narrowly edges out Ipswich fan and shirt sponsor Ed Sheeran who is worth £340m.
Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua is third among sport stars and is joint 17th with Harry Styles with a worth of £175m.
How AJ punched his way to the top
ANTHONY JOSHUA punched his way to the top of the world before being knocked off his perch.
Joshua is punching his way back to into title contention in boxing and has increased his wealth by getting to grips with property acquisitions in Mayfair, Bond Street and BP’s former HQ in Hertfordshire.
The majority of his wealth, £129.2m to be exact, is held by Sparta Promotions and shows he earned £28.3m from boxing purses and £8.9m from commercial deals.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Sir Andy Murray ranks way lower in the list – 27th overall – with a value of £100m.
The 37-year-old has won more than £50m on the tennis court throughout his career while his income has been boosted by sponsorship deals with the likes of Head, Standard Life and American Express.
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Murray also has a stake in sportswear brand Castore worth £35m and owns the Cromlix hotel in Stirlingshire.
England captain and Bayern Munich star Harry Kane is next with a fortune of £75m.
The 30-year-old reportedly pocketed a £30m signing on fee and also earns £400,000 a week.
Kane also now owns a £30m mansion in Munich.
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Fellow England international Raheem Sterling is next with a worth of £72m.
The 29-year-old earns £350,000 a week at Chelsea and has sponsorships with the likes of New Balance, Puma, Gillette and Clarks.
Just behind him and the last sportsperson in the list is 34-year-old Gareth Bale.
Since retiring from football Bale has featured in a number of celebrity golf tournaments featuring the likes of Novak Djokovic and McIlroy.
Ultimate sports presenters rich list
TV sports presenters make a mint.
The biggest and best are signed up on yearly deals with the likes of the BBC, ITV and Sky for your viewing pleasure.
Laura Woods is dominating the media landscape at the moment, leading TNT Sports’ coverage and ITV’s.
Alex Scott and Jermaine Jenas are two of the fresher faces for the BBC’s sporting output.
Then, it’s the old guard of Gary Lineker and Mark Chapman who also command hefty fees for their Match of the Day programmes.
SunSport has taken a look at how those big names rank and compiled a list of the top 10 highest earning stars that grace our TV screens.
With number one worth a whopping £29.4million more than number 10!
Read the story and see the full list here.