Rory McIlroy, the Grand Slam-winning pro golfer from Co Down, has been ranked as the 17th highest-paid athlete in the world for 2025 by Forbes.
McIlroy, 36, clocked a staggering $87.9 million in earnings between May 1, 2024 and May 1, 2025, according to Forbes. $42.9 million was from salary / winnings, while $45 million was from endorsements.
McIlroy landed right between French soccer player Kylian Mbappé, who had $90 million in earnings, and NFL player Patrick Mahomes, who had $86.8 million in earnings.
Last year, McIlroy landed in second place on Forbes' World’s Highest-Paid Golfers 2024 list, with earnings of $83 million, a far cry from John Rahm's top spot of $218 million.
A native of Holywood in Co Down, Forbes lists McIlroy's nationality as the UK. The pro-golfer is the only athlete from the island of Ireland and the only person from Northern Ireland to make Forbes' Highest-Paid Athletes list this year.
Last year, McIlroy represented Ireland during the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Discussing his decision to play for Ireland, he told the Guardian: “All of my amateur career I played for Ireland. I was very proud to play for Ireland. So why would I do anything differently as a professional?"
April 13, 2025: Rory McIlroy wins the Masters, clinching a Grand Slam. (Getty Images)
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Forbes says that according to its estimates, McIlroy is one of the PGA Tour's most marketable players, now matching Tiger Woods with his earnings off the course.
The Co Down pro-golfer counts Nike, Omega, Optum, TaylorMade as sponsors, Forbes noted.
McIlroy is also the only PGA Tour player other than Woods to have won at least $100 million in career prize money, according to Forbes.
Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. (Getty Images)
The Co Down golfer won the PGA's prestigious Masters tournament last month, famously clinching a career-defining Grand Slam in the process.
Sports Illustrated reported in April that McIlroy banked the largest first-place prize in Masters history - $4.2 million.
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