After a rumor circulated that Rory McIlroy had donated his earnings from winning the Masters Tournament to an Irish charity, the organization cleared things up.
Mencap, a charity based in Northern Ireland that supports individuals with learning disabilities, issued a statement on Wednesday, April 16.
“We would like to clarify that reports stating [McIlroy] donated winnings from a recent tournament to Mencap are not accurate,” Grainne Close, Director of Mencap Northern Ireland, said via X.
The charity noted that McIlroy, 35, has donated to them in the past, helping to build a children’s center in Belfast a few years ago.
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“We remain deeply grateful for his generosity and commitment to our cause and would like to congratulate him on his recent wins,” the charity added.
McIlroy is from Holywood, Ireland, a town just outside of Belfast.
The golfer earned $4.2 million for his Masters victory on Sunday, April 13, which saw McIlroy defeat Justin Rose on the first sudden-death playoff hole.
According to the PGA Tour’s website, Rose, 44, won $2.268 million for his runner-up finish.
Patrick Reed and Scottie Scheffler, who finished in third and fourth place, respectively, each collected over $1 million.
McIlroy’s elusive Masters victory earned him the career grand slam, becoming just the 6th golfer in history to win the Masters, U.S. Open, PGA Championship and Open Championship.
After hoisting the trophy on the 18th green at Augusta National, McIlroy called it “the best day of my golfing life.”
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“This is my 17th time here, and I [had] started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” McIlroy told reporters. “What came out of me on the last green there in the playoff was at least 11 years, if not 14 years, of pent-up emotion. I got the job done.”
In an interview in the clubhouse with CBS’ Amanda Balionis after the win, McIlroy gave credit to his “incredible support system the whole way throughout my life.”
“As an only child, the support that I had from my parents — they saw some potential in me as a golfer and they gave me every opportunity to try to fulfill that potential,” McIlroy continued. “Talking to them on the phone after I won, my mom probably still hasn’t stopped crying.”
