$1 billion empire heir claps back at ‘daddy's money’ trolls at Torrey Pines - “I was called ‘Rich Kid’ in third grade”

Maverick McNealy was called a ‘Rich Kid’ at Torrey Pines while playing the Genesis Open two weeks ago. Talking to the Skratch podcast, the runner-up at Torrey Pines shared his feelings about the jibe.

The host of the podcast, Dan Rapaport, asked McNealy how he felt when he was trolled with the “Daddy’s money” jibe at Torrey Pines. Revealing that he has always been trolled on the name of his father, Scott McNealy, who has a net worth of $1 billion (according to celebritynetworth.com), Maverick replied, via Skratch Podcast:

"It's nothing new. I was called, you know, ‘Rich Kid’ in third grade, and I was like, really, what does that mean? My parents told us growing up that we had a lot of opportunities, and we had wonderful opportunities given to us. But my parents said that you're going to have to be nicer, treat people better, work harder, and you know, all of that because there will be some people that want to play that card and say that you are where you are because of the opportunities you were given in your background growing up—which I'm unbelievably grateful for."

However, this doesn’t mean that Maverick McNealy wasn’t disappointed by the trolling. He further added:

"I think the thing that was a little disappointing was the fact that it was said in a way that was trying to detract from one of the coolest things I've done in my career, which had absolutely nothing to do with my background—which was being 9 under through 13 at Torrey and, out of nowhere, having a chance to win that golf tournament. That was one of the most fun and special days for me and Scout, and really, a lesson in that ‘no expectations’ type of golf."

How Maverick McNealy performed at Torrey Pines

Tiger Woods, who hosts the Genesis Open at Torrey Pines, remembers Maverick McNealy as an infant who used to play golf with a plastic golf club. On February 16, McNealy nearly won the tournament with a sensational comeback.

In the final round at Torrey Pines' South Course, McNealy finished with an 8-under 64, totaling 11-under overall—just one stroke behind the winner, Ludvig Åberg. But the second-place finish didn’t come without drama. McNealy started the final round in 8th place, five strokes behind the leader, Patrick Rodgers. At that point, no one thought he had any chance to finish where he ultimately did.

On the very first hole, McNealy missed the green but saved himself with a 38-foot putt. Then, the crowd at Torrey Pines witnessed something remarkable. Over the next 12 holes, he scored birdies on eight of them.

McNealy made consecutive birdies from the second to the sixth hole and then again from the ninth to the eleventh. At one point, he was leading by three strokes, but a bogey on the 14th gave Åberg a chance to overtake him—ultimately determining the final result at the 2025 Genesis Open.