Rory McIlroy beats rival Phil Mickelson in all-time money list after latest The Players triumph

Rory McIlroy has emerged victorious at the 2025 Players Championship. He won a total of $4.5 million for his win, beating rival Phil Mickelson on the PGA Tour's all-time earnings list.

With the win, McIlroy's career earnings reached $99,709,062, surpassing Mickelson's $96,685,635, as per Golfweek. McIlroy is now second only to Tiger Woods who has amassed $120,999,166 in career earnings.

McIlroy won his 28th title on the PGA Tour and his second Players Championship on Monday. He defeated J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff at TPC Sawgrass, making his 43rd professional win.

This is McIlroy's second win in the 2025 season. He also won the 2025 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month. When asked how good the win tasted, he said, via ASAP Sports:

"Yeah, amazing. I left here a little disappointed last night that I didn't get it done in regulation. I reset, and I needed to go out and play some good golf today. It started with a great drive on 16 which set me up for an easy birdie. Then a great swing into 17, and those three swings were basically what decided the championship."

Let's take a look at the top players in the all-time money list through the Players Championship 2025:

1. Tiger Woods - $120,999,166
2. Rory McIlroy - $99,709,062
3. Phil Mickelson - $96,685,635
4. Dustin Johnson - $75,557,026
5. Scottie Scheffler - $74,289,284
6. Jim Furyk - $71,507,269
7. Vijay Singh - $71,281,216
8. Adam Scott - $68,599,687
9. Justin Rose - $66,638,708
10. Jordan Spieth - $63,507,120
11. Jason Day - $62,804,310
12. Justin Thomas - $61,976,664
13. Matt Kuchar - $60,438,621
14. Hideki Matsuyama - $59,887,078
15. Xander Schauffele - $57,561,393
16. Sergio Garcia - $54,985,969
17. Jon Rahm - $52,055,684

---

Rory McIlroy praised the unexpected Monday crowd at The Players

The playoff for The Players Championship 2025 was postponed to Monday after the weather delay in the final round. However, despite Monday morning, a large number of fans were present during the playoffs.

Talking about it in the post-tournament press conference, Rory McIlroy said, via ASAP Sports:

"Yeah, it was incredible. I was walking up 16 fairway, and I turned to my caddie Harry, and I was like, I can't believe how many people are here. Obviously no one works in Jacksonville. Yeah, it was amazing. I didn't expect there to be so many people out there today. It created a great atmosphere. Certainly J.J. and I really appreciated that."

When asked what aspects of his game he had added or improved significantly, McIlroy credited his improved putting, short game, and shot shaping for his win.

"I'm a better putter. I'm better around the greens. I can flight my ball better in the wind. My ability to shape shots both ways. Yeah, I'd say those are the things. Really I'm managing myself more around -- by no means did I have my best stuff this week, but I was still able to win one of the biggest tournaments in the world. That's a huge thing," he said.

Rory McIlroy also said that he would compete in either the Texas Children's Houston Open or Valero Texas Open next, before the Masters tournament at Augusta National.