Rory McIlroy is second all-time in career PGA Tour prizemoney, amassing more than $US107 million in winnings to date. He looks likely to catch and pass Tiger Woods’ mark of $US121 million long before his career is up. Needless to say, the reigning Masters champion wants for nothing, but it wasn’t always that way. McIlroy grew up humbly in Northern Ireland, so when that first tour pay cheque finally hit his bank account, he hardly knew what to do with it.
On Wednesday at the BMW Championship, McIlroy was asked if he remembered how he spent that first pay cheque, which prompted a rather sheepish admission from the five-time major champion. Watch it and wince.
What did @McIlroyRory spend his first TOUR paycheck on?
"It was like the worst purchase ever." 😂 pic.twitter.com/WCO6IZl2vL
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 13, 2025
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“It was a watch with diamonds around it,” McIlroy told reporters at Caves Valley. “It was horrific. I can’t believe… it was like the worst purchase ever.”
We’ve all been there in our youth. Most of us couldn’t afford gaudy, diamond-encrusted timepieces, but we all splurged on something equally immature – a fixer-upper car, a new guitar, a set of blades we had no business trying to hit – with our first taste of adult money. Do you regret that purchase? Perhaps not. Each was a valuable lesson in its own way, but like McIlroy, it’s OK to be a bit embarrassed by them.
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Asked what kind of watch it was, McIlroy declined to answer, citing his long-running endorsement deal with Omega. Smart play from the veteran tour pro. Though that first pay cheque is long gone, there will be plenty more to come for the world No.2 if he plays his cards right.
