Rory McIlroy: £6.6m doesn't mean much to me, it's playing to win that counts now

For most of us, £6.6m is the sort of eye-watering sum we could only dream of wi

It would take the average Northern Ireland toiler over 300 YEARS to earn that amount.

But it's clearly loose change to Rory McIlroy.

Our multi-Major winning golfer has raised eyebrows by declaring that the staggering seven-figure bonuses up for grabs in big tournaments mean little to him - and added that it has been eight years since he's shown any real interest in what anything costs.

The 26-year-old Co Down man has earned more than £18.3m in prize money since he turned professional, and twice that amount in off-course endorsements and sponsorships.

But, as one of the wealthiest sports people in the world, he is long past the stage where cash occupies his thoughts.

When asked about the $10m (£6.6m) bonus for the winner of this weekend's PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, Holywood native McIlroy admitted that, in his eyes, it didn't count as much of an incentive.

"Luckily, that amount of money doesn't sort of mean much to me any more," he told reporters at the East Lake Golf Club.

"It will go in the bank and if I want to buy something nice, I will. I mean, like, it's nice to think that you could win $10m this week, but that's not what excites me.

"It excites me to play well and to try and win."

Despite his fabulous wealth Mclroy is not prone to making outrageous purchases.

Unlike other mega-rich golfers, he doesn't own a private jet, and although his six-bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion in Jupiter, Florida, set him back a cool £6.2m, that's modest for a man of his means, and the property doesn't stand out from others in the neighbourhood.

Rory is also a lover of fast, expensive cars such as the Lamborghini Aventador (left) and BMW i8, but his myriad of sponsorship deals means he doesn't actually have to buy them, just be seen driving them.

The last thing he had to check his funds for before buying was a watch, back in 2007.

That year he won £211,322 on the European Tour, which is miniscule compared with what he earns now, but for this son of a Holywood barman, it meant a lot more then.

"I wanted this watch and went to the ATM to check my balance; it was £220,000," said McIlroy.

"I went straight to the store and bought the watch. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life.

"But, obviously, at that stage I had just been a pro three or four weeks, I had never seen that amount of money before.

"At that point I didn't have a clue about taxes or a clue about anything like that. I just saw this amount of money and I was like, yes, I'm going to get this watch."

McIlroy, who is currently dating American Erica Stoll, added: "These days, we're playing for over a million dollars every week. We're in such a fortunate position and I think everyone on Tour realises that.

"The majority of the guys that are out here know that their kids will be OK, their kids can go to college, their kids will probably be OK as well.

"So to be able to set up the next couple of generations of your family for a nice life, it's very fortunate and very privileged that we're able to do that."

$10 million FedEx Cup bonus ‘doesn’t mean much’ to Rory McIlroy anymore

The $10 million bonus that goes to the winner of the FedEx Cup may tantalize golf fans tuning in to watch Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and the 26 other golfers going at it this week in the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship. But the jackpot that still seems a rather tidy sum to most folks is not what stokes the competitive fires of the guys teeing it up at East Lake.

While Jason Day said he might update his wardrobe should he prevail come Sunday night, McIlroy was underwhelmed by the possibility of padding his bank account.

"Luckily, that amount of money doesn't sort of mean much to me anymore," McIlroy told reporters on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s start to the fourth and final FedEx Cup playoff game of the 2015 campaign.

"It will go in the bank and if I want to buy something nice, I will," said McIlroy, who enters the week at No. 11 in the standings. "I mean like it's nice to think that you could win $10 million this week, but that's not what excites me. It excites me to play well and to try and win. And the FedExCup is ... one of the only things that I haven't put on my (resume) and that would be more exciting to do that rather than walk away with a check."

If McIlroy seemed rather blasé about the financial spoils up for grabs, it’s because he made a reported $200 million from a multi-year endorsement contract he signed with Nike in 2013. Add another $28 million or so that he has earned on the PGA Tour, as well as whatever pocket change he’s picked up on the European Tour, and the 26-year-old former world No. 1 is fixed for life -- and then some.

It was not always that way for the kid from Northern Ireland, who hearkened back to 2007, when he was new to the professional ranks and money had more meaning.

"I remember I wanted this watch," McIlroy said about the year he turned pro and finished third at the Dunhill Links Championship.

He noticed a healthy balance in his account and went straight to the store and bought the watch.

"It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life," said McIlroy, who noted how lucky he and his peers were. "We're playing for over a million dollars every week. We're in such a fortunate position and I think everyone on tour realizes that.

"The majority of the guys that are out here know that their kids will be okay, their kids can go to college, their kids will probably be okay, as well," he added. "So to be able to set up the next couple of generations of your family for a nice life, it's very fortunate and very privileged that we're able to do that."

As for Day, the top seed in FedEx Cup points and world rankings who could conceivably win the whole thing by finishing as low as 29th, he really had not given much consideration to how he would spend his new-found wealth.

"I might buy a few more V-necks from Target," he said. "I don’t really spend money, mate. I have some nice stuff. I might buy some new clothes because I’ve still got clothes in there that are five years old that I still wear today.

"I’m a very simple man," added Day, who acknowledged the weight of the riches awaiting the winner did occur to him.

"Of course it would pop into my brain. It did in 2011 and I choked," he said about his T6 finish that year. "But, it’s a good position to be in. It’s good pressure to have."

PGA TOUR GOLF: Nightmare finish leaves Rory McIlroy needing something spectacular on final day

Jordan Spieth jumped to the front of the queue for Tour Championship glory and FedEx Cup big money after a dramatic turnaround on day three at East Lake.

The Masters and US Open champion has the chance to cap his unforgettable year on Sunday with another prized trophy, which with it would bring a bonus of 10 million US dollars.

And he put himself in the leading position by crafting and grafting his way to a two-under 68, his putter becoming hot at the end of the round, helping Spieth out of trouble and ahead of long-time leader Henrik Stenson.

The pair will duel for glory over the closing 18 holes, with Spieth beginning the final round on eight under par and Stenson one back.

Stenson began the day nine under, and at the turn he was on the same mark, but a shaky second nine holes played in two over par saw the 39-year-old Swede open the door for Spieth.

A terrific escape from trouble at the 16th hole, after a birdie at the previous hole, was the trigger moment for Spieth’s surge from second place, two shots back, to his one-shot overnight lead.

The 22-year-old American went horribly right off the tee at 16 and knew he was in trouble. He punched the ball out of immediate trouble to gain a sight of the flag, then with a pitch that was no more than adequate gave himself a 22-foot chance of par.

Spieth drained the putt into the heart of the hole, and an impressive two-putt for par from long range at 17, bogeyed by Stenson who found sand, set him up for a crack at the lead at the short last.

From 20 feet, Spieth nailed another pressure putt for birdie, with Stenson only able to make par.

What Rory McIlroy would have given for birdie, or even par, at the last.

Having played well to reach two under through 17 holes, and five under for the tournament, McIlroy butchered the par-three 18th, taking three shots to find the putting surface and then missing from close range for bogey.

A par round of 70 left the Northern Irishman three under, needing something spectacular over the closing 18 holes.

Rickie Fowler’s three-under 67, that lifted him to a tie for third with Paul Casey on four under, was the lowest anyone managed on Saturday.

A rain warning prompted tournament organisers to bring forward tee times by over two hours. The wet weather materialised and made conditions difficult, particularly around the rough, with Englishman Casey saying the course had become “monstrously long”.

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry on top of their game but Lawrie battles for card

Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Peter Lawrie - three Irish golfers who emerged from the GUI system and became highly respected professionals in a tough business.

They have plenty in common, not least their background in the amateur ranks and their prowess at this most difficult game.

The glamour and the riches on offer can disguise the bottom line that every week on Tour is a battle for form and performance.

If you don't make cuts, you don't get paid that week, and if the game gets away from you, it's a slide that is very difficult to stabilise, let alone enter recovery mode.

Right now McIlroy, 26, and Lowry, 28, are free of those concerns.

Multi-millionaire McIlroy goes into the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup finale at East Lake knowing there's a $10 million dollar bonus on offer for the ultimate winner of the overall series.

That's in addition to the total prize fund of $8,250,000.

The winner of the tournament will earn $1,485,000 before checking if he has earned enough points to take the huge bonus home as well.

Lowry's victory in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational elevated the Clara native on every level and ensures he, too, can look towards making a FedEx Cup challenge in 2016.

In addition, that win has earned Lowry the 'Hilton European Tour Golfer of the Month' award for August.

All is rosy in his garden and it is well deserved as Lowry looks ahead to resuming on the European Tour in the Dunhill Links on Thursday week.

When you're in your twenties and the putts are dropping and the cheques are being banked, what's not to like?

On the other side of the glory game is Peter Lawrie, who wants to make money for two reasons: first for earnings, but, more importantly, to save his career.

Lawrie, 41, finished tied 14th in the Italian Open and on Sunday night, the official Race To Dubai ranking list had him at 109th, with earnings of €187,296.

By Monday morning, he was listed in 111th place. The ultimate goal is to safely finish at 110th or better in order to ensure full playing rights in Europe for 2016, and to do that will require about €235,000 when the season finishes.

Lawrie lost his card last year and has gained 24 starts this season to date, mostly courtesy of sponsors' invitations. Time and opportunities are now running out.

He was slightly bemused by the 109th place on Sunday turning into 111 by yesterday, but his main concern is getting to play at least a couple of times more before the dreaded Tour School in November represents the last-chance saloon.

As of yesterday, Lawrie is not in the European Open this week, the Dunhill Links, British Masters at Woburn, the Portugal Masters or the Hong Kong Open.

"I've sent off my begging letters as I've done all year.

"There's no chance of me giving up hope, not at all. It's just a matter of wait and see.

"Every invitation I've received this year has been on the Monday before the tournament.

Invitation

"There's only been one invitation I've received two weeks before the tournament.

"Every other one has been on the week of the tournament so every week, I don't know whether I'm at home with the kids doing school runs, or whether I'm going to go and play golf.

"All you can do is your best and that's what I've done all year.

"I've given it a good run. Hopefully it doesn't finish here but if it does, then there's nothing I can do about it. I've given it my all," said Lawrie.

The final round of Tour School in November would be an option he would take reluctantly if all else fails.

Just to underline the vagaries of a golfing career, a place in that Final Qualifying in PGA Catalunya Resort from November 14-19 is the goal of ambitious young men such as Walker Cup stars Paul Dunne and Jack Hume.

Dunne and Hume compete in the Tour School First Round qualifying in Austria starting today.

They must get first through that tournament and then the second round next month in order to reach the last stage - a six-round marathon.

If Alex Ferguson had been a golfer, one of his most famous quotes would be altered to: "Golf, bloody hell!"

Rory McIlroy calls major-less 2015 a "lost year"

Rory McIlroy may want the FedEx Cup on his resume, but the world No. 2 made it clear that capturing the season-long points race wouldn't make up for being shut out in the majors.

“I think it’s a lost year already, just because I didn’t win a major,” said McIlroy, who shot 1-over 71 on Friday at the Tour Championship in Atlanta. “I judge myself on the biggest tournaments and the biggest tournaments we have are the four majors, and I played OK in them but I didn’t win.”

The four-time major winner only competed in three of the 2015 majors, missing the British Open in July after suffering an ankle injury while playing soccer with friends on July 4. He finished fourth at the Masters, six back of Jordan Spieth. He was tied for ninth at the U.S. Open, fueled in part by a Sunday flurry to make an early final-round challenge at Chambers Bay. McIlroy made his competitive comeback at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, finishing in 17th place. 

After winning two majors in 2014, a lot was expected of McIlroy this year -- a major, at a minimum, added to the trophy case. However, all was not, well, lost. The Ulsterman did win the WGC-Cadillac Match Play and Wells Fargo Championship in May.