Rory McIlroy was forced to sell his dream house for under £2million in 2013 after spending too much time away on the PGA Tour.

The Northern Irishman had built a home any golf fanatic would bite your hand off for, with a state-of-the-art practice area at the back of an enormous garden.

Being a pro golfer has its ups and downGetty

The mansion was built in 2006 in his home town of Holywood.

He turned pro in 2007, before joining the PGA Tour three years later.

But as his career sky-rocketed, McIlroy had to leave his dream home behind as he based himself over in the United States.

The sprawling property sits on 14 acres of land and boasts a gym, tennis court, driving range and the golf practice area.

But in 2012, he put it on the market, selling it to former TV presenter Gary McCausland in 2013 for under his asking price of £2m.

McCausland has since said he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to buy it and labelled it ‘an amazing place’.

Already a two-time major winner, McIlroy won the PGA Championship and The Open double in the same year, 2014.

And while he must have missed his Holywood home at the time, we don’t think he’d have been too disappointed with its replacement.

That’s because McIlroy moved to a luxurious home in Palm Beach, Florida.

It’s worth more than three times as much as his dream home on the Northern Irish coast.

This was McIlroy’s home at the start of his pro careerFive Star

He also purchased a California mansion in 2019.

Speaking about his American lifestyle and preferring to play in the US, he said: “My life is here.

“I have an American wife. I live in America. Honestly, I enjoy it here more. The way of life is easier. The weather. The convenience.”

And, in the Sunday Times Rich List, McIlroy ranked 13th in the 40 richest people under the age of 40.

Ah, how the other half live!

PGA Tour duo McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will do battle with two of LIV Golf’s biggest names in Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in a matchplay clash at Shadow Creek on December 17.