Will ‘Celtic Tiger’ Rory be golf’s new billion-dollar baby?

Rory McIlroy has the potential to become the world’s highest-paid sportsman and could rack up career earnings that rival the £1bn amassed by Tiger Woods, according to experts.

The Northern Irishman is likely to see the money he earns from sponsorship deals – reportedly around $10m (£6.2m) – double in the immediate aftermath of his record-breaking US Open win on Sunday.

And if the 22-year-old climbs from his current ranking of world number four to dominate the game for a number of years, he could build a personal fortune to rival Tiger Woods, marketing experts are predicting.

Woods, whose career earnings are believed to have topped $1bn, is still the highest-paid man in sport, despite seeing the enormous sums he accrues in sponsorship deals dip in recent years, following allegations that he had a string of extramarital affairs.

American magazine Sports Illustrated put Woods’s annual earnings from endorsements at $60m (£43m) this year, down from $70m (£37m) last year.

Alex Thomson on sport's new golfing sensation: Local boy Rory makes good in US Open

That fell from a high of close to $90m in 2009, before sponsors ditched Woods in the aftermath of the scandal surrounding his personal life.

McIlroy, whose sponsors include the Dubai-based luxury hotel chain Jumeirah, sunglasses brand Oakley and golf equipment manufacturer Titleist, is likely to see an immediate boost in his finances through the performance-based bonuses built into his contracts, according to Nigel Currie, director of sports sponsorship agency Brand Rapport.

McIlroy’s agents are likely to seek to demand higher sums from sponsors when his contracts come up for renewal over the next few years.

He will easily become the highest-paid sports star that we have ever had in this country. Nigel Currie

Mr Currie told Channel 4 News: “Winning a major tournament will probably double his off-course earnings over the next year. The next real target he will be setting himself is becoming number one in the world, and remaining there in the next few years.

“If that happens, he will easily become the highest-paid sports star that we have ever had in this country.

“He has won one, but he has got to put together in the next few years a series of wins in the majors. We have seen from Tiger, Roger Federer and Schumacher that if you establish yourself as the best player or driver in the world for a number of years, that’s when you can really earn the huge money.

“From what I have seen of Rory, he is an unbelievable talent – a bit like Tiger Woods in that he’s breaking on to the scene as early as he has.

“You don’t do that unless you’re pretty special. And he’s got all the attributes. He’s so young, he’s so personable. And the Americans love the Irish.”

What has happened to Tiger really has created an opening for the next big thing in golf. David Collins

For David Collins, director (international) of sports marketing agency WSM Sponsorship, estimates of McIlroy’s current endorsement earnings at around £6m are “sensible ballpark figures”.

And it is his youth that will be the key to him rivalling Woods as the richest man in sport, he added.

“It often takes some players 10 years to achieve what Rory has achieved. So you could say that he has 10 years’ more earning potential than many of his rivals.

“Tiger has created the market, if you like, for mega-money in golf. Guys like Rory have a lot to thank Tiger for, just as Tiger had a lot to thank peole like Arnold Palmer and Seve Ballesteros for.

“What has happened to Tiger really has created an opening for the next big thing in golf.”

Asked whether McIlroy could join Woods in passing the $1bn dollar career earnings mark, Mr Collins said: “It is achievable.

“I think Rory has a long way to go, but one of the most positive things I’ve witnessed is the fact that he seems so grounded, so humble, calm and composed.

“In sport, so much is down to performance, health and injuries. Anything that could happen in the future. But whatever happens to Rory, he will be fabulously wealthy.”