Rory McIlroy earnings compared to Phil Mickelson after Players triumph

Rory McIlroy defeated J.J. Spaun in a three-hole playoff to win the Players Championship and overtook Phil Mickelson in career earnings in the process

Rory McIlroy triumphed over J. J. Spaun in a three-hole playoff on Monday, securing the Players Championship title and surpassing LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson‘s career earnings.

The Northern Irish star was tied with the American at 12-under through the final round, leading to a tense battle on the last three holes. Despite expressing dissatisfaction with his Sunday performance, McIlroy proved his mettle by defeating Spaun – and made a vow after.

This victory marks the first time McIlroy has won twice on American soil before the Masters. The 35-year-old also became the first European to win multiple Players Championships and entered the top 20 all-time PGA Tour victories.

McIlroy pocketed $4.5 million from his win, matching Scottie Scheffler’s earnings from last year when the purse was increased to a record $25 million. Spaun earned $2.725 million for his second-place finish, while Tom Hoge, Akshay Bhatia, and Lucas Glover each took home $1.325 million.

With this win, McIlroy’s career earnings now total $99,709,062 from 261 starts, overtaking Mickelson who has amassed $96,685,635 throughout his career. Only golf legend Tiger Woods has earned more than McIlroy, with career earnings of $120,999,166 from nearly 400 starts.

However, Woods is unlikely to increase his total this year due to Achilles surgery. McIlroy now knocks on the door of the exclusive $100 million club and could see his name next to Woods with a strong performance at The Masters. After besting Spaun and making history, McIlroy shared his thoughts with NBC Sports.