One of PGA Tour’s richest golfers with bigger net worth than Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Jack Nicklaus may not even play The Masters

Maverick McNealy might just be the richest golfer you’ve never heard of.

The 28-year-old American is yet to win on the PGA Tour with his best finish at a major coming in 2022 when he finished T75 at the PGA Championship.

The world number 99 may not even play at the Masters next month due to his ranking, but thanks to his father, businessman Scott McNealy, he is already richer than almost every golfer in the world who not named Tiger Woods – including Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson. and Jack Nicklaus.

That’s because the elder McNealy co-founded tech giant Sun Microsystems in 1982.

It was then acquired by Oracle Corporation in 2010 for a whopping $7.4 billion, meaning the McNealy family hit the ultimate jackpot.

Scott McNealy has a net worth of $1 billion and Maverick is the heir to this mind-blowing ten-figure fortune.

Despite growing up in a 28,000-square-foot, $86 million Palo Alto mansion, McNealy insists things weren’t handed to him on a plate.

He told Golf Digest: “My father often tells me that the best-funded start-ups always fail and that a short cash runway lights a fire under your back that is hard to imitate.

“I don’t judge my success in golf by how much money I’ve won; I judge it by my effort and commitment.

“My brothers and I never received a stipend, and we were told that once we finished college we would have one summer to find a job and then we would be on our own.

6

6

“My dad would have made me pay rent to live at home after school, I’m not kidding!”

That said, it’s always his mother who pushes him to be better.

“You might think my father was intimidating, but my mother was strict,” he added.

“’Good grades, good attitude, good effort’ is his mantra. She always said that I had to do my homework before I could play sports. Bad grades meant taking away my golf and hockey gear.”

McNealy was born in California on November 7, 1995 and grew up with his three golfing brothers who were all named after famous American cars: (Ford) Maverick, (Dodge) Dakota, (Dodge) Colt, (Jeep) Scout.

Despite an early passion for ice hockey, Maverick’s attention turned solely to golf after graduating from high school.

The 6-foot-1 star qualified for the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst at age 18 and established himself the following year as one of the top college golfers in the United States.

Budding pro shot 61 in Pac-12 final round Conference Championship tournament, tying the Stanford 18-hole record held by Tiger Woods and Cameron Wilson.

In late 2016 and 2017, he was the number one golfer in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and won the Ben Hogan Award for Best American College Golfer.

In 2018, he graduated from Stanford with a degree in management science and engineering, but he was already proving himself as a golfer and turned professional after the 2017 Walker Cup.

6

McNealy would ultimately earn his PGA Tour card for the 2019-2020 season thanks to his finish on the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour.

Since then, he has earned second place at the 2021 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the 2021 Fortinet Championship.

His wait for a first title continues, but he has accumulated over $7 million in career earnings.

2023 has been a mixed bag for the California native as he reached a career ranking of 57th to start the year.

But he subsequently missed much of last season after a shoulder injury ruled him out of competition for more than five months.

McNealy, however, remained positive and used his unfortunate situation to realize one of his lifelong ambitions: to become a fully licensed pilot.

He took to Instagram in May 2023 to announce that he had qualified to get his license to fly where he currently resides in Las Vegas.

He wrote: “I’m a pilot!!

6

“I’m still processing everything, but it’s definitely one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life.

“Luke and Jake, thank you for everything you have taught me on the ground and in the air. I know it will be a lifetime of learning.”

Speaking to Golf Digest about his new passion, he said: “It’s been a lot of fun.

“I look at it as something I don’t want to add stress to my life. It’s something I enjoy and love doing, so I would never put undue pressure on taking a trip for weather report reasons, flying in a new uncomfortable and complicated airspace, whatever it may be.

6

“It’s a fun outing away from golf.”

McNealy says he has now put flying on the back burner while he is back on the golf course.

He finished T9 at the Players Championship earlier this month and is looking to find some consistency for the remainder of 2024.

He will no doubt be encouraged by his wife Maya, whom he married in December 2023.

Maverick previously dated American golf star Danielle Kang, but the two split after two years of dating.