US open winner Rory McIroy could become the UK's richest, and perhaps even favourite, sportsman.
While David Beckham and Lennox Lewis are currently the wealthiest UK sporting stars, McIlroy, who won £4 million for his US OPen win at the weekend, is predicted to rake in £100 million during the next ten years.
PR guru Max Clifford ‘In terms of his earning potential, yes. In the next 12 months, he
could comfortably make £10million and in ten to 15 years, he could have
made £100million, provided he’s still playing the way he is at the
minute.’
When he was only three months short of his second birthday McIlroy was presented with his first golf club – and from then on would accompany his father at their local course.
At home, the youngster would work on his pitching by chipping balls into his mum's washing machine.
Sensing his son's talent, his father Gerry worked 100 hours a week in three jobs – two as a barman and the other as a cleaner.
Mother Rosie would work the nightshift at a factory making electrical components after tending to Rory in the day.
Gerry said: "That's all I knew to get the money we needed for Rory to be able to learn and compete at golf.
Rory's first words on leaving the course after winning the open were "Happy Father's Day, Dad."
And Rory's not only making himself rich.
A punter who backed the then-unkonwn schoolkid called to win the Major was counting his winnings yesterday.
The shrewd gambler, who played with the young Rory at Holywood Golf Club near Belfast, put £50 on the wonderkid at 500-1 to win a Major before he was 25.
McIlroy, 22, proved him right on Sunday by smashing the field at the US Open to take the title by a massive eight shots.
And if the Ulsterman carries his world-beating form into next month's Open at Sandwich, his dad Gerry will be next to take the bookies to the cleaners.
Gerry and three pals put £100 each on Rory when he was 15 to take the Claret Jug before his 25th birthday.
