Despite failing to end his decade-long wait for a fifth major championship triumph, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy walked away with a seven-figure bonus via the PGA Tour’s PIP scheme
Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods walked away with significant bonus sums via the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Programme (PIP) in 2024 (Image: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Northern Irish superstar Rory McIlroy walked away with a mammoth $4.5m windfall during 2024 despite failing to end his wait for a fifth major championship triumph during the previous calendar year.
The 35-year-old’s most recent major victory came in the form of the PGA Championship back in 2014, having won the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 PGA Championship, 2014 Open Championship previous to this. With his drought now stretching back a decade, it remains to be seen whether he will end his hoodoo in 2025.
The man from Holywood, County Down came within a whisker of clinching victory in the 2024 U.S. Open – having led proceedings with just four holes to play. However, having boasted a two stroke advantage over Bryson DeChambeau, he bogeyed three of the last four holes as he finished one stroke adrift of his rival.
Dusting himself down after coming agonizingly close to ending his ten-year wait for another major championship victory at Pinehurst Resort, he rounded off the year by winning the DP World Tour Championship to take the Race to Dubai title. Now, it has been confirmed that McIlroy pocketed a cool $4.5m via the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Programme (PIP) in 2024.
This scheme sees players of repute earn a bonus for helping to increase the profile of the American circuit over the course of the year. McIlroy’s fee was the third-most earned by any player on the tour, with Tiger Woods taking away $10m and Scottie Scheffler being handed $8m.
Fellow Irishman Shane Lowry earned the seventh-biggest windfall of any player on the tour in 2024, having been awarded $3.5m. Previously, the PIP pool stood at $100m but this figure was cut to $50m for 2024 – with the scheme set to be replaced by the Player Equity Program (PEP).
Rory McIlroy failed to end his wait for a fifth major championship triumph in 2024 (Image: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images for The Showdown)
This will see players gain the ability to earn equity stakes in PGA Tour Enterprises, with PGA Tour chief competitions officer Tyler Dennis welcoming the move as “historic” previously. He said: “This is a first in professional sports.
“There’s no other sports league in the world that has this significant number of their athletes as owners of their own sports organization. We’re really excited about it because ultimately we want to do what is right for the fan.”
Meanwhile, PGA Tour executive vice president chief player officer Jason Gore also welcomed the move as the next logical step for the American circuit. He said: “Owners are motivated to think beyond their personal performance week-to-week and year-to-year.
“They have a broader perspective of how their actions can impact the long-term health and performance of the TOUR in a positive way. One that meets the needs of our fans at every turn. It’s no longer as much ‘What’s in it for me?’ as ‘What’s good for fans and good for the PGA TOUR?'”
