Rory McIlroy Joins Britain’s 100 Richest Sportsmen

3 May 2012

Rory McIlroy, the 23-year-old Northern Ireland golfer who won the 2011 US Open, has already amassed a fortune worth £11m, according to the third annual Sunday Times Sport Rich List published in a special supplement free with The Sunday Times this weekend (May 6)

McIlroy is one of 12 golfers to feature in The Sunday Times Sport Rich List 2012, which profiles the 100 wealthiest sportsmen in Britain and Ireland. Last year, McIlroy only featured in the list of wealthy young sportsmen, aged 30 and under, with a £7m fortune.

The 2012 Golf Rich List is headed by Sir Nick Faldo, worth £34m, who is estimated to have added £2m to his fortune in the last year, after tax, from television commentary, golf course design and sponsorship deals.

Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke have each seen their golf fortunes fall by £6m after they lost money by jointly buying a 10-seater Challenger 601 jet at the top of the market and selling at the bottom.

With a fortune which now stands at £32m, up £5m on last year, Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson is the wealthiest football manager in The Sunday Times Rich List 2012.

Sir Alex is joined in the Football Managers’ Rich List this year by Tottenham’s Harry Redknapp, worth £12m, and the new England manager, Roy Hodgson, worth £11m. Hodgson first became a football manager in 1976, with the Swedish side Halmstad.

Arsenal’s Arsene Wegner, the highest paid manager in the Premiership, with a salary recently reported to be £7.5m a year, has seen his fortune rise by £7m to £26m.

The Sunday Times Sport Rich List 2012 The Richest Golfers

1 Sir Nick Faldo £34m

2 Padraig Harrington £33m

3 Colin Montgomerie £28m

4= Luke Donald £25m

4= Lee Westwood £25m

6= Ian Poulter £20m

6= Ian Woosnam £20m

8 Darren Clarke £15m

9= Paul Casey £14m

9= Justin Rose £14m

11 Graeme McDowell £12m