Rory McIlroy took home double what Shane Lowry earned
Rory McIlroy collected twice the prize money of his close friend Shane Lowry despite finishing in a tie for 12th at the rain-affected Memorial Tournament.
Tommy Fleetwood surrendered a one-shot advantage to finish fourth in Ohio, as JT Poston claimed the title. The third round at Muirfield Village was forced to spill over into Sunday morning, yet Poston’s four-shot lead quickly disappeared as Fleetwood’s eagle at the 15th hole propelled the Englishman into the leading position heading into the closing stages.
However, a dropped shot two holes later proved damaging, and Fleetwood could only watch on as Poston and Ryan Gerard finished two strokes clear on 12 under par, before Poston maintained his nerve to prevail after two play-off holes.
The early focus in Ohio had been squarely on Masters champion McIlroy and world number one Scottie Scheffler, who was attempting to match Tiger Woods’ impressive feat of winning this prestigious tournament three times in succession.
Ultimately, both McIlroy and Scheffler had to settle for a share of 12th place, finishing on four under after carding final rounds of 68 and 71 respectively. Both collected cheques worth over £301,000 – double what Lowry earned for finishing in a tie for 22nd, reports the Irish Mirror.
Saturday’s action was halted with Poston and Gerard level on nine under at the sixth green, though Poston increased his total to 12 under once the third round concluded on Sunday morning. Gerard sat four shots adrift, while Sam Burns occupied third place on seven under, with Fleetwood and American Wyndham Clark completing the top five on six under.
McIlroy had come out of the gates firing with three consecutive birdies in his final round, yet trouble lay ahead as Poston held his nerve until a dramatic back nine ensued. A birdie from Burns at the ninth and a bogey from Poston cranked up the pressure, and soon enough a four-way tie at the summit emerged before Fleetwood’s eagle at the 15th.
The lead proved short-lived as Clark drew level with Fleetwood on 11 under, before a bogey from the Englishman saw him post a 68 to finish on 10 under.
Gerard moved clear on his own with a stunning 37-foot putt, but Poston kept his cool on the 18th with a birdie to force a play-off.
The 482-yard par-four 18th hole was selected for the play-off and while both players made par at the first attempt, Gerard took five shots on the second occasion, allowing Poston to clinch his first victory of 2026.
Memorial Tournament prize money
Winner: J.T. Poston $4 million
2. Ryan Gerard $2.2 million
3. Wyndham Clark $1.4 million
T4. Tommy Fleetwood $920,000
T4. Sam Burns $920,000
T6. Alex Fitzpatrick $730,000
T6. Kristoffer Reitan $730,000
8. Eric Cole $646,000
9. Alex Noren $600,000
T10. Si Woo Kim $535,000
T10. Maverick McNealy $535,000
T12. Adam Scott $401,800
T12. Rory McIlroy $401,800
T12. Justin Rose $401,800
T12. Scottie Scheffler $401,800
T12. J.J. Spaun $401,800
T17. Patrick Cantlay $319,000
T17. Harris English $319,000
T19. Aaron Rai $269,333.34
T19. Justin Thomas $269,333.34
T19. Keegan Bradley $269,333.34
T22. Bud Cauley $200,200
T22. Matt Kuchar $200,200
T22. Russell Henley $200,200
T22. Shane Lowry $200,200
T22. Kurt Kitayama $200,200
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