Maverick McNealy hasn’t quite made a name for himself on the PGA Tour just yet. The 27-year-old hasn’t yet notched his first professional victory, and he’s earned just $7 million in three full seasons on Tour.

Now, that isn’t an insignificant amount of money by any stretch, but it’s nothing compared to his dad’s $1 billion fortune. That’s right, Scott McNealy, Maverick’s father, has a whopping net worth of $1 billion thanks to his sustained success in the business world. If this whole golf thing doesn’t work out, at least McNealy will have his family’s riches to fall back on.

Maverick McNealy is the heir to his father’s $1 billion fortune

Maverick McNealy doesn’t have a win on his PGA Tour resume, but he might be one of the richest golfers in the world.

Scott McNealy, Maverick’s father, co-founded technology giant Sun Microsystems in 1982. The company went through its typical ups and downs over the years, but its big break came in 2009 when Oracle Corporation acquired Sun Microsystems for $7.4 billion.

As a co-founder of the company, Scott hit the jackpot. As of January 2023, Scott McNealy has a net worth of $1 billion, per Celebrity Net Worth.

Despite his father’s success in the business world, though, Maverick says it was his mother who pushed him to achieve his dreams in golf.

“You’d think my dad is the intimidating one, but my mom was strict,” McNealy told Golf Digest in 2018. “‘Good grades, good attitude, good effort’ is her mantra. She always said I had to do my homework before I got to play sports. Bad grades meant taking away my golf and hockey gear.”

Maverick McNealy is focused on creating his own legacy on the PGA Tour

McNealy wouldn’t have to work a day in his life if he didn’t want to, but that’s not how he was raised. The Californian didn’t receive an allowance growing up, and he would’ve had to pay rent at his parents’ house if he didn’t find a job after college, per The U.S. Sun.

Thankfully, McNealy excelled on the golf course growing up. He followed in Tiger Woods’ footsteps by playing at Stanford University, and after graduating in 2017, he joined the PGA Tour as a full-time member in 2019. Now, he’s the 62nd-ranked golfer in the world.

In his fourth year on the PGA Tour, McNealy is still searching for his first win. The 27-year-old has racked up a modest $7 million in on-course earnings, but no matter how much money he ends up making in professional golf, that’s not what he wants to be remembered by.

“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,” he told Golf Digest. “I don’t judge my success in golf by how much money I’ve made; I judge it by my effort and commitment.”