Rory McIlroy spent his first big-money paycheque on the ‘ugliest watch ever bought’

Rory McIlroy seemingly got a little too excited after earning the first big payday of his now-legendary career.

The six-time major winner ranks second in the all-time winnings list on the PGA Tour with a staggering $115,575,791 (£86.2m).

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Only the equally iconic Tiger Woods has bettered McIlroy with a total of $120,999,166 (£90.3m).

McIlroy turned professional in 2007 at the age of 18 and won around €277,255 (£239,654) in earnings on his European Tour debut year.

When speaking at the 2025 BMW Championship, he was asked about what he spent his first ever tour paycheque on.

“Yes, a watch, with diamonds around it. It was horrific!” he admitted. “I can’t believe, it was like, the worst purchase ever! It was so bad.

McIlroy also remembered the brand, but said: “It’s not the make and model that I’m sponsored by now (Omega) so I’m not going to say it!”

He is front and centre of a biography written by Alan Shipnuck, ‘Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf’s Most Human Superstar’.

Shipnuck joined talkSPORT on the William Hill Sports Book Club, and recalled when the Northern Irishman once told him to ‘f*** off’.

But the author also gave more clarity on just how bad the watch was, with McIlroy most certainly regretting his purchase.

He said: “He goes, and he buys the biggest, gaudiest, ugliest watch anyone’s ever bought. It’s quite funny because years later, he says, ‘Oh, that was terrible, I can’t believe I bought that watch’.

“It just all comes full circle because, as you said, we would all love to go to an ATM and see we have £400,000 all of a sudden. What would we do? Probably something stupid, which is exactly what Rory did.

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“But, to his credit, he tells the story and he laughs about it. Rory doesn’t take himself too seriously, that’s another quality that you can enjoy.

“He will laugh at himself and, for celebrities in general, I think that’s rare. They’re in this ecosystem where everyone’s always kissing up to them and they’re always telling them they’re perfect.

“But Rory can see through that. He’s like, ‘Yeah, that was ridiculous! Why did I buy a $25,000 diamond encrusted watch?’ So yeah, it’s a very cute story, but also reveals something deeper.”

Marvelling in McIlroy’s watch

The modern McIlroy appears to have found his taste in watches, so much so that Brooks Koepka was keen to admire his timepiece.

McIlroy is understood to wear an Omega Tourbillon, which is said to be worth upwards of an astonishing $250k.

It was a gift he gave himself after his second FedEx Cup in 2019.

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“There hasn’t been that many made,” he explained. “Omega are a sponsor of mine, so I sort of had my eye on this watch for a while.

“I wanted to treat myself after a win and yeah, pretty cool.”

McIlroy added: “I probably wear it too often! I probably should have it be more special than it is, but I like it so much.”

Koepka, who was paired with McIlroy at the PGA Championship last weekend, was in awe of the intricate watch.