PGA Tour golfers are known for their substantial earnings, with top players amassing considerable wealth throughout their careers. However, Maverick McNealy might just be the richest golfer you’ve never heard of.

The 29-year-old secured his first PGA Tour win in November by birdying the final hole at The RSM Classic. Last week, the California-born prodigy, who qualified for the 2014 US Open at 18, narrowly missed clinching the Genesis Invitational.

Despite a stellar final round where he shot an impressive 64 to finish 11-under par, McNealy lost to Ludvig Aberg. This meant missing out on the $4M prize that comes with being the champion.

But he can take comfort in knowing that he doesn’t exactly need that amount of money. In fact, McNealy – who arrived at the golf course in his private jet – is already wealthier than any other golfer in the world, barring Tiger Woods, including Rory McIlroy.

This is because he is the heir to a $1BN fortune. His father, Scott McNealy, co-founded tech giant Sun Microsystems in 1982, which was later bought by Oracle Corporation in 2010 for a staggering $7.4BN, securing generational wealth for the McNealy family.

McNealy is poised to inherit a fortune from his father, having been raised in a 28,000 square-foot mansion in Palo Alto, California valued at $86M. To illustrate the extent of his inheritance, he stands to gain six times the net worth of golf legend McIlroy.

As per Celebrity Net Worth, the celebrated Northern Irishman has amassed $170M since turning pro in 2007 through earnings, endorsements, and investments. Interestingly, McIlroy could have increased his fortune by joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf initiative but chose not to.

At 49, Woods holds the title of richest golfer globally, with an estimated wealth of about $1.1BN. His financial success is partly due to declining a “mind-blowingly enormous” offer from LIV Golf.

Despite his lavish upbringing, Maverick maintains he had to earn his way too. In an interview with Golf Digest, he quotes his father’s advice: “My dad often tells me the most well-funded start-ups always fail, and that a short cash runway lights a fire under your rear that’s hard to emulate.

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

“My brothers and I never got an allowance, and we were told that once we graduated from college, we’d have one summer to find a job and then we’d be on our own. My dad would’ve made me pay rent to live at home after school – I’m not kidding! “.