RORY MCILROY IS back up to second in the latest world rankings after his sensational Tour Championship victory saw the Northern Irishman finish the 2019 season with a staggering €20 million in prize money.
In claiming a four-shot win at East Lake in Atlanta on Sunday night, McIlroy joined Tiger Woods as the only multiple winners of the lucrative FedEx Cup, while jumping ahead of Dustin Johnson into second in the standings.
Despite his frustration at the Majors, notably his missed cut at The Open in Portrush, it was a season of recurring success for McIlroy, who won three times on the PGA Tour — The Players Championship [March], RBC Canadian Open [June] and Tour Championship [August].
2019 was also McIlroy’s first three-win season in five years, and his first with multiple successes since 2016.
The €13.4 million [$15 million] Tour Championship winner’s cheque sees McIlroy’s overall prize money for 2019 soar to just under €20 million, while the 30-year-old’s caddie Harry Diamond is set to pocket a cool €2 million for his year’s work.
“Didn’t think about it once,” McIlroy said of golf’s biggest prize money.
“Really cool to put my name on this trophy for a second time. Any time you can do something that only Tiger has done, you’re doing something right.”
Brooks Koepka remains top of the rankings, while McIlroy, Johnson, Justin Rose, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Woods, Xander Schauffele and Bryson DeChambeau make up the top-10.
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