PGA Tour stars share £15million prize pot but still don't come close to £9m Rory McIlroy

Despite missing out on his share of the £15million prize pot available at the RBC Heritage on Sunday, continues to lead the way among his peers on the money list. McIlroy swerved the tournament in South Carolina after finally clinching his first Masters title at Augusta National earlier in April.

After defeating Justin Rose in a play-off and completing the career Grand Slam, he returned to Northern Ireland to celebrate with family and friends. The 35-year-old phenomenon chose to take a well-earned break after a tense few weeks and opted out of the RBC Heritage event despite it being one of the most lucrative stops on the PGA Tour. In his absence, Justin Thomas triumphed over Andrew Novak to win the tournament at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. The victory marked Thomas' first PGA Tour win since 2022, and with that result came a sizeable £2.7m first-place reward.

Runner-up Novak pocketed £1.6m of his own, while last-place finisher Joe Highsmith still earned £27,000 for his troubles. Most PGA stars would be at least slightly regretful to have missed out on the chance at such a significant payday, but McIlroy was all too concerned with seeing in his Masters triumph in style.

His seasonal earnings of £9.9m are almost double that of Thomas, who sits in second with £5.2m. McIlroy's impressive earnings can be attributed to his exceptional performance this year, highlighted by victories at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship.

This marked the first time the Holywood native had won two tournaments leading up to the Masters, giving fans an early indicator his search for the green jacket may be over. McIlroy pocketed £3.2m for his fifth major win, significantly boosting his earnings for the season to date.

And he'll have the chance to further increase his income at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans this weekend. The Northern Irishman is gearing up to make his competitive comeback on Thursday as he and Shane Lowry set out to defend their title.

Lowry will be joining forces with McIlroy once more for the team event in Louisiana, where they emerged victorious last year after a play-off against Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer. And the duo are certain to be in the mood for more silverware, especially with McIlroy's form in full swing and the superstar well-rested.

"We'll be there. I talked to him [Wednesday] morning. We're good to go," Lowry told Golfweek in the run-up to New Orleans. "To be honest, I didn't want him to feel like he had to play because of me. He's not letting me down if he wanted to take some time. He feels like he wants to get back out there."