Back in action at the BMW Championship, the second of the three FedEx Cup Playoffs, Rory McIlroy once again delivered at his press conference this Wednesday in Caves Valley, Maryland. Asked what he did with his first salary as a professional player, the Northern Irishman shared a juicy anecdote.
Rory McIlroy, statements
"I only had a debit card at the time, and I checked my balance," he said with a huge smile. "I thought, 'Oh my God!' I went straight to the jeweler. And I bought a watch. It had diamonds all around it. It was horrible. It was the worst purchase of my life. It was truly horrible. It's not the make and model I currently sponsor, so I won't say which watch it was."
In 2007, over the course of three tournaments, from the British Masters to the Spanish Open and the Dunhill Links Championship, Rory McIlroy pocketed the modest sum of $363,724.
Rory McIlroy, born May 4, 1989, in Holywood, Northern Ireland, is a Northern Irish professional golfer. As a youngster, he quickly gained recognition for his golfing talents. He began his career as an amateur, winning the Junior Ryder Cup in 2004, competing in the Walker Cup in 2007, representing Ireland at the Eisenhower Trophy in 2006, and winning five tournaments, including the European Amateur Championship in 2006 (as well as the European Amateur Team Championship in 2007). He turned professional in September 2007 at the age of 18.
He won his first victory on the PGA European Tour at the Dubai Desert Classic in February 2009, and his first victory on the American tour the following year at the Quail Hollow Championship. After two third-place finishes in major tournaments, in the 2009 PGA Championship and the 2010 Masters, he won his first Grand Slam title at the 2011 U.S. Open.
Rory McIlroy first became world No. 1 on March 4, 2012, at the age of 22, 43 days after winning the Honda Classic, a PGA Tour event in Palm Beach Gardens. On August 12, 2012, he became the first Northern Irishman in history to win the PGA Championship. He is also the first British player to do so since Tommy Armour in 1930.
In 2014, he won his third major tournament by winning the British Open, followed by a fourth by winning a second PGA Championship. That same year, he won the Ryder Cup for the second consecutive time, playing with the European team against the United States.
In 2019, following a strong season in the United States, including a victory at the FedEx Cup[1], the Northern Irish golfer was named PGA Tour Player of the Year[2].
In 2025, he won the Augusta Masters in a playoff, becoming the sixth player to achieve the career Grand Slam after Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.
