Tiger Woods is famously the greatest golfer of all time and has since become the sole billionaire in golf with a net worth of $1.3 billion.
Or so many of us thought, until now – stand up, Maverick McNealy.
The eight-year PGA Tour pro is reportedly heir to an enormous family empire worth billions of dollars.
At 29 years old, he’s ranked 18th in the world and has one PGA Tour win at the RSM Classic in 2024.
And what’s more, McNealy has one luxury that few PGA Tour golfers are afforded – he can go out and play golf knowing prize money won’t change anything for him.
So, who is golf’s secret billionaire?
Maverick McNealy’s staggering family wealth
Son of a billionaire tech founder
Heir to Sun Microsystems’ fortune
Raised in a $86million Silicon Valley Estate
Maverick McNealy is undoubtedly a solid PGA Tour professional with a respected career, but his financial status is deeply rooted in his family affairs.
His father, Scott McNealy, co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982, which was then sold to tech giant Oracle for $7.4 billion in 2010.
Maverick had a lavish upbringing, surrounded by moguls in the technology industry and some of the nation’s most elite institutions.
He grew up in a staggering $86million property in Silicon Valley, where his parents ensured he understood the value of money, with the golfer previously stating he was never handed money freely or given a large allowance that many have assumed.
McNealy has even claimed his father expected him to work a summer job and would have charged him rent to stay at home after his education.
This enormous empire means McNealy is considered one of the richest golfers on the planet due to his expected sizeable inheritance of the family’s fortune.
While Tiger Woods’ enormous empire is still in a league of its own, McNealy has secretly been touted as the next wealthiest player in the sport – he certainly doesn’t need to snap up a LIV Golf deal!
A motivated off-course lifestyle
Licensed pilot
Stanford engineering degree
Married in 2023
McNealy’s off-course lifestyle is funded by mass wealth, but it’s a lifestyle that’s balanced and fuelled by personal ambition.
He earned his pilot license in 2023 and has a small jet, which he regularly flies himself to PGA golf tournaments in the USA.
The golfer graduated from one of the country’s most esteemed educational institutions, Stanford, with a degree in Management Science & Engineering.
His grounding in technical and methodical thinking has transferred effectively to his golf game, which is informed and smartly measured.
He married his wife, Maya Harris, in late 2023 and has a younger brother named Scout, who has caddied for him numerous times in his career.
Is he really the richest golfer outside Tiger Woods?
McNealy’s financial security affords him a truly unique luxury on the PGA Tour, with his net worth reported as more than that of Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler.
He doesn’t need prize money to sustain his lifestyle and does not need to chase pay cheques, sponsorship deals or fame through public appearances.
While he’s a proven PGA Tour pro, many expect McNealy will invest his time and inheritance into different ventures with the freedom to see where life takes him and bow out of the sport on his own terms.
When he inherits the bulk of his family fortune, he may well be knocking on Woods’ door on the net worth charts.
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