Rory McIlroy’s net worth significantly eclipses that of fellow British sports stars Anthony Joshua and Harry Kane.
The reigning Masters Champion has seen his earnings soar by a whopping £35million, according to the newly published Sunday Times Rich List.
The 36-year-old is now worth a cool £260m compared to his value of £225m a year ago.
McIlroy is also listed among the most affluent under-40s in the UK, coming in at 19th place and first spot in Northern Ireland.
The star’s rise over the past 12 months has seen him stay in front of stars such as former world heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Joshua who came in at 24th place with a fortune of £195m.
McIlroy also dwarfed England captain Harry Kane whose £100m value placed him at No.38 in the list.
The only other name included on the list from the world of sport was Andy Murray who placed at 35 on the list with £110m.
McIlroy’s actual wealth could be greater than the £260m quoted by the Sunday Times, as the list is assembled based on assets, including land, property and significant stakes in publicly listed companies rather than bank accounts alone.
His earnings saw a huge spike last month when McIlroy finally got his hands on the elusive Masters, and in doing so, achieved a career grand slam.
The win at Augusta saw him scoop £3.15m which saw his total PGA Tour prize money go beyond £100m.
McIlroy’s play-off victory over Justin Rose saw him become just the sixth golfer to complete the career grand slam while handing him a fifth career major.
But he faces an uphill battle to claim back-to-back major titles after an error-laden opening round in the 107th US PGA Championship.
British athletes on Sunday Times 40 under 40 Rich List
| Rank | Athlete | Net worth |
| 19 | Rory McIlroy | £260m |
| 24 | Anthony Joshua | £195m |
| 35 | Andy Murray | £110m |
| 38 | Harry Kane | £100m |
McIlroy struggled to a three-over-par 74 to trail Jhonattan Vegas by 10 shots.
Vegas finished his round with five birdies in the last six holes to become the first Venezuelan player to lead a major.
Meanwhile, the 350 individuals included in the Sunday Times Rich List combined for a staggering £772.8billion – a three percent drop from last year’s compilation.
Journalist Robert Watts, who draws up the list, said: “The Sunday Times Rich List is changing. Our billionaire count is down and the combined wealth of those who feature in our research is falling.
“We are also finding fewer of the world’s super rich are coming to live in the UK. Our research continues to find a wide variety of self-made entrepreneurs building fortunes not just from artificial intelligence, video games and new technologies, but also mundane, everyday items such as make-up, radiators and jogging bottoms.
“We know many of our readers find these people and their stories inspiring – especially the many who had tough starts or setbacks to their lives and careers.”
