We are all in the wrong game, aren't we? 

We should have been chipping golf balls into a washing machine at home as kids. 

That's what Rory McIlroy did, and 4 major championships later, the 28 year old has signed a $100 million equipment deal with manufacturer Taylor Made over the next decade. With McIlroy's other lead sponsor, Nike, moving away from the equipment side of the game to clothing and apparel, McIlroy has been transitioning with his clubs for months now. 

He's finally made the leap. Two decades ago, before the Tiger Woods era, an equipment change would be seen as risky. Now the manufacturers work with the players to tailor the right fit to their requirements, including the ball. It's no biggie. 

World number one Dustin Johnson and Masters champion Sergio Garcia are with Taylor Made, and McIlroy will play alongside Johnson for the first two rounds of the prestigious Players Championship on the US PGA Tour at Sawgrass in Florida this week. 

So McIlroy, in a great place personally after his recent marriage, will earn approximately $30 million dollars a year from his clothing and equipment deals with Nike and Taylor Made before teeing up a ball in anger. Prize money is not included, and there should be a lot of that for the County Down star in the years to come. 

Golf really is a lucrative business at the elite level, and there's no age limit. Everyone can thank Tiger Woods for changing the game in the last 20 years, making it global and appealing, attracting the TV companies and corporate sponsors and ensuring a lot of very rich players. 

We don't begrudge Rory a cent. We just wished we thought of it all first. Oh, and had the talent. 

Proud to join the @TaylorMadeGolf family. New Bag. New Clubs. New Ball. #ThePlayers https://t.co/rAWiqGKJXW pic.twitter.com/J2w7haZPZP

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) May 9, 2017