LIV Golf star’s Rory McIlroy comment proven right as Masters champion now £10m richer

Rory McIlroy has finally won the Masters and completed a hallowed career Grand Slam, something LIV Golf star Lee Westwood predicted was only a matter of time

The lauded Rory McIlroy’s journey to Masters glory was heralded by none other than LIV Golf’s Lee Westwood, who boldly tipped the Northern Irishman to eventually claim a career Grand Slam. Despite Augusta National being a haunting ground for McIlroy, with a monkey firmly on his back since a 2011 heartbreak, this year he dispelled all doubts.

With recent wins at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Players Championship, he came to the Masters in formidable form and, after a nerve-wracking playoff against Justin Rose, etched an indelible image of triumph in golf’s history books. Not only has McIlroy’s Grand Slam victory fulfilled Westwood’s prophecy, but it also catapults him £5.2million ahead of Collin Morikawa as the PGA Tour’s highest earner this season, as he’s already taken home a whopping £10m so far – £3.2m of which came from his Masters triumph alone. As he pursues a record-breaking and profitable year at just 35, the victory underscores his enduring talent and Westwood’s prediction that the best is yet to come.

“Rory will now go into a 10th season without having won a major, but to my mind, he has not peaked yet and fared ridiculously well to win four majors before he was 25. I did not play my best golf until I was in my late 30s,” Westwood – who joined the rival LIV in 2022- said optimistically to the Telegraph back in 2023.

“I got to World No.1, and yes, I was given pelters from the US for somehow not being worthy of the moniker – and I believe Rory will be the same. He is so consistent and should carry on what he is doing. I honestly have a feeling that he will win the Masters in April.

“I’m not sure I’ve felt that way before. Rory just seems on that path and one day, it will all click and he will walk away with another major – Harman style.”

Despite Westwood’s prediction being a whole year off, the former World No. 1 hit the bullseye when he foretold McIlroy’s triumph at Augusta National – and his claim that the best was yet to come has rung true given McIlroy’s incredible year so far.

Currently, McIlroy is on a winning streak on the PGA Tour, having already gathered approximately £10m this year, including a massive £3.2m from his Masters victory alone.

In both 2022 and 2023, McIlroy pocketed extraordinary sums, bringing home £27.75m and £24m respectively, with 2022 marking his most financially rewarding year based solely on tournament earnings.

Despite these impressive figures, the 35-year-old sensation could be on track to outdo himself this season, having secured £10m to date and with numerous high-stake tournaments on the horizon and the FedEx Cup payout – a top prize McIlroy has claimed three times before.