For a man reportedly worth over $300 million, winning the DP World Tour Championship was about much more than the prize money on offer, as Rory McIlroy’s emotional post-round interview showed.
A string of bridesmaid results in which he either managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory or had his pocket unsurreptitiously picked meant that signing off his 2024 campaign at the top of the pile once again hit harder than you’d imagine for a man who’s now won 38 tournaments worldwide.
But even if the money that accompanied played second fiddle in McIlroy’s mind, the rewards were substantial nonetheless. The tournament victory carried a $3 million winner’s cheque, and in winning his sixth Race to Dubai title – equalling the number won by Seve Ballesteros, leaving only Colin Montgomerie ahead on eight – McIlroy banked a further $2 million, meaning he leaves the Middle East with his fortunes increased by $5 million.
McIlroy wasn’t the only Irishman to fill his pockets in Dubai, and Shane Lowry’s two-way tie for third means his coffers are increased by $554,334, taking his season’s earnings over $8 million on both sides of the Atlantic.
Tom McKibbin’s $143,000 for finishing tied for 11th might seem paltry in comparison, but the 21-year-old was arguably the biggest winner of the week from a career perspective as he did enough to earn a PGA Tour card for 2025, which means he’ll get to compete in bigger tournaments, for bigger prizes and against better opposition with much more regularity.
Back across the pond, Seamus Power carded the lowest score of the day on Sunday at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, and though he couldn’t replicate his 2022 victory in the Atlantic island, he climbed 37 places on the leaderboard and finished tied for 23rd, taking just over $60,000 in tournament earnings.
It was Puerto Rican Rafael Campos whose week was life-changing, however, having become a father for the first time on Monday, then going on to become a first-time PGA Tour winner, securing his playing rights through 2026 and taking over $1.2 million in earnings.
You can buy a lot of nappies and maybe even a nanny with that.
On the LPGA Tour, Leona Maguire may have missed the cut on the number, but thanks to other results going her way, she managed to hold her spot within the top 60 in the Race to CME Globe rankings and compete for the $4 million first prize at the $11 million LPGA season-ending CME Group Tour Championship this coming week.
The week belonged to world number one Nelly Korda, however, who went 66, 66, 67, 67 for a three-shot win and the $487,500 winner’s share.
DP World Tour Championship payouts
1 Rory McIlroy -15 $3,000,000
2 Rasmus Hojgaard -13 $1,270,000
T-3 Shane Lowry -11 $554,334
T-3 Adam Scott -11 $554,334
T-3 Antoine Rozner -11 $554,334
6 Tyrrell Hatton -10 $316,000
T-7 Bob MacIntyre -9 $209,625
T-7 Keita Nakajima -9 $209,625
T-7 Joaquin Niemann -9 $209,625
T-7 Jesper Svensson -9 $209,625
T-11 Matt Wallace -8 $143,000
T-11 Tom McKibbin -8 $143,000
Butterfield Bermuda Championship Selected Payouts
1 Rafael Campos -19 $1,242,000
2 Andrew Novak -16 $752,100
T3 Adrien Dumont de Chassart -15 $407,100
T3 Mark Hubbard -15 $407,100
T5 Vince Whaley -14 $255,300
T5 Sam Ryder -14 $255,300
T5 Justin Lower -14 $255,300
T23 Seamus Power -9 $60,030
The ANNIKA powered by Gainbridge Selected Payouts
1 Nelly Korda -14 $487,500
T2 Weiwei Zhang -11 $229,909
T2 Jin Hee Im -11 $229,909
T2 Charley Hull -11 $229,909
T5 Rose Zhang -10 $123,859
T5 Linn Grant -10 $123,859
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