Rory McIlroy’s team finished last in TGL. He earned $375,000. Nelly Korda finished 5th in the Aon Risk Reward Challenge—elite company, top 4% of the tour. She earned $0. One tour rewards failure. The other punishes near-perfection.

The 2025 season delivered a harsh lesson in golf economics. Rory McIlroy banked $35.9 million in on-course earnings. Nelly Korda collected $2.8 million. That’s a 12.6-times earnings gap between two elite performers who both delivered statistically exceptional seasons. Here’s the part that stings. McIlroy earned more in a single week than Korda made all year.

His Players Championship victory in March brought a $4.5 million check. Korda’s entire 19-tournament season totaled $2.83 million. That’s one Sunday versus 19 weeks of grinding.

McIlroy won fou

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