Rory McIlroy has been named the UK’s richest young sports star for the third year running in the Sunday Times Rich List, increasing his fortune by £28m to £138m, in an all-male list dominated by Premier League footballers.
The 30-year-old from Northern Ireland topped the 17-strong list ahead of Gareth Bale, whose fortune grew a £20m to £94m. Bale moved up a spot because Andy Murray did not feature on this year’s Rich List, as only UK-based sports stars aged 30 and under are eligible for inclusion.
McIlroy enjoyed the biggest boost to his personal fortune of all the stars on the list, with his tournament earnings bolstered by an estimated £25m annually from commercial deals. McIlroy has $100m, 10-year contracts with Nike and TaylorMade, as well as deals with Omega watches and NBC Sports.
In March, McIlroy won the Players Championship to join Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win four majors and 15 PGA Tour titles before the age of 30.
The only other non-footballer to feature on the Sunday Times Rich List was the boxing world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, whose wealth rose £14m to £49m, ranking him fourth.