“I hit a little white ball around a field sometimes.”
So reads Rory McIlroy’s Twitter bio, what it does not say is that hitting that little white ball around a field is an incredibly lucrative activity.
The golfer, who turned 28 on Thursday, is currently enjoying his honeymoon after marrying Erica Stoll at Ashford Castle last month.
There was bleating from some quarters about McIlroy’s decision to keep his wedding completely private but, those complaining should be happy McIlroy chose Mayo for the star-studded nuptials.
Going by the latest Sunday Times Rich List, the Holywood native could have got married on the moon if he fancied it.
McIlroy is richer than King Croesus and Scrooge McDuck combined, adding a whopping €30million to his fortune in the past 12 months, according to the newspaper.
We should be thanking Rory McIlroy after he took one for the team, writes @dionfanning https://t.co/auZ9dGVpio
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 21, 2017
The golfer is now worth almost €100m in total, with the Sunday Times estimating his wealth at £82m (€97m). In the past 12 months he won the PGA Tour Championship and Fed Ex title, worth $11.5m (€10.5m).
Nike abandoning the golf equipment business has also opened up new club and ball endorsement opportunities for the Irishman, who penned a $100m contract extension with Nike – who will continue to provide his clothing and shoes.
McIlroy is fifth on the sporting rich list, behind formula one driver Lewis Hamilton (£131m), with Manchester United’s veteran striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic a new entry at two, with a fortune of £110m.
Wayne Rooney (£93m) and Jenson Button (£86m) complete the top five of a top 10 that is dominated by people form football – Jose Mourinho (£61m), Gareth Bale (£54m) and Pep Guardiola (£50m).
World tennis number one Andy Murray (£77m) and British NBA star Luol Deng (£50m) complete the list.
