World No.1 Rory McIlroy needs to capture the European Tour season-ending DP World Tour Championship to become golf’s leading all-time money earner in a single season.
Five years ago, former long-time World No.1 Tiger Woods amassed a record combined PGA and European Tour earnings high of $US11,557,729.
Woods won seven regular Tour events in 2007 including his 17th Major title, the PGA Championship along with two WGC victories while he also competed in two regular European Tour events.
McIlroy heads into this week’s final Tour tournament already having amassed official combined 2012 European and PGA Tour prize money of $US9,620,300 from his 22 tournaments on either side of the Atlantic.
The 23-year old Northern Irishman will add $US1m to that amount as a guarantee for simply teeing up on Thursday in Dubai.
That’s the top prize from a $3.75m ‘bonus pool’ for Europe’s top-10 place getters this year and McIlroy wrapped up the Race to Dubai by finishing third in the recent Singapore Open.
It still puts McIlroy $US937,429 adrift of Woods’ 2007 historic season high.
However if McIlroy were to end his fifth full season in the pro ranks claiming the $US1.3m first prize cheque in Dubai he would surpass Woods’ 2007 high.