Nobody will be surprised to hear that Tiger Woods is among the top 10 athletes when it comes to earnings, according to the annual listings that came out at Forbes.com on Friday.
And while only four golfers cracked the top 100, three of those were in the top 25, proving that golf’s elite are as well-compensated as those in any sport.
Woods made a tidy $62.3 million last year, with $60 million of that coming from endorsements.
Rory McIlroy (No, 14) and Phil Mickelson (No. 25) were also in the top 25 and Jordan Spieth, despite his lack of success on the PGA Tour in 2019, still came in at No. 52.
The site notes that since he turned pro in 1996, Woods has earned $1.5 billion from endorsements, appearances and course design fees. Not a bad number. Also, Woods continues to branch into new areas with his career firmly in its twilight. The Payne Valley project in Missouri will be Woods’ first public course design and will help push his talents — and earning power — in new directions.
Introducing: The World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2020 https://t.co/qXM8hjcpSS pic.twitter.com/ODEfIoleRK
— Forbes (@Forbes) May 29, 2020
McIlroy netted $52 million and came in at 14th on the list, but while he did well in endorsements ($30 million), he shot up the rankings due to his $15 million payday for winning the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup.
Meanwhile, Mickelson’s on-course earnings were minimal — he pulled in “just” $800,000 on the season, but hauled in a whopping $40 million in endorsements, including new additions in Amstel Light and hat brand Melin. He placed 25th on the list and has made an incredible $750 million in endorsements through the years.
Spieth barely missed the top 50 on the Forbes list, even though he fell out of the Official World Golf Rankings top 50. His deal with Under Armour continues to help push him high on this list, and he netted a total of $27.6 million on the year, with $26 million coming from endorsements.
[jwplayer lDMpxpar-vgFm21H3]