The seven richest golfers of all time? Tiger Woods tops the list, with the late legend

Although golf as a sport is increasingly presented in our country as being available to everyone, many people will probably always consider it a millionaire’s pastime. Today we will not argue here about how much golf actually costs the average mortal. If we look at a handful of the very most famous legends, we will actually be talking in astronomical sums.

In America in particular, golf is very popular. Spectators scramble for overpriced raffle tickets to the most prestigious tournaments, where they spend all day on a green hot meadow to see their darlings, golf club in hand, hitting a little white ball as far as the eye can see.

Naturally, as interest grows, so does the appetite of the sponsors, which also increases the rewards for the winners. At the last The Masters, which is considered the most prestigious tournament in the golfing world, this year’s Japanese winner Hideki Matsuyama earned a fabulous US$2,070,000 (over CZK 44,710,000).

These are the seven who have earned the most from golf in their careers. It should be added that it’s not just the profits from the tournaments themselves, but also the sponsorship income that pours in from all sides for the best players.

7. RORY MCLLROY – $150 million

The likeable native of Northern Ireland is well known to those who follow golf only marginally. He is one of the most successful, dynamic and profitable golfers of modern times. He turned professional in 2007 and has been a stable member of the PGA Tour since 2010.

He has won eighteen times on the infamous circuit and has also been FedEx Cup champion twice. Among other things, Mcllroy became the face of the last golf video game released by EA Sports to date.

6. GARY PLAYER – $250 million

This is one of the most durable guys to ever appear at the highest level of golf. He joined the American Tour back in 1957. Among the best players in the world, he played on the PGA Tour until 2009, where he earned 24 wins in his career.

How is it possible, you ask, that Gary was able to make so much money even though his peak was when astronomical sums were not yet flying through the sport? The answer is simple. He designed more than 300 golf courses.

5. JACK NICKLAUS – $400 million

If we are looking for one of the most popular and best players of all time, Jack Nicklaus will be at least among the top three in golf history. He played the PGA Tour between 1962 and 1990, then played on the Tour Championship until his mid-twenties.

He achieved 72 victories on the most famous circuit. At the age of 13, he played the 18-hole course for 68 shots. He played his last tournament in 2005 and has been designing courses ever since. In 2014, he received the United States Congressional Gold Medal.

4. PHIL MICKELSON – $400 million

Legend has it that Mickelson started golf at the age of one and a half. He joined the PGA Tour circuit in 1992 and his career on the top stage has never ended. Throughout his career, he has become a true crowd favorite, a symbol of the game.

Not only in golf, but also in his personal life, he has had to overcome many obstacles, yet he continues to blaze the green. He hasn’t aged. He has won a total of 44 tournaments, six of them in the Major category. The only thing missing from his collection of Grand Slams is the US Open, where he has finished second six times.

3. GREG NORMAN – $400 million

Fans nickname this guy “The White Shark” because of his aggressive playing style and blond hair. He didn’t start golfing until he was 15, but by the time he was four years old, he was a professional.

He joined the PGA Tour in 1983 and won a total of 20 victories. He went on to win dozens more outside of the PGA Tour. He was the first golfer in the world to earn more than $10 million from tournaments. He played golf professionally until 2012, and has been designing and building golf courses ever since.

2. ARNOLD PALMER – $700 million

Few people have had a bigger impact on golf itself than this legend. A man who many believe set the course for the sport. Everyone loved him. In 1955, he won the Canadian Open in his first season, winning $2,400. In all, he won an impressive 62 tournaments on the PGA Tour.

When his life was snuffed out in 2006, he left behind a legacy that includes major tournaments, equipment, courses and even an iced tea he designed himself. He had his own course in Bay Hill, Florida since 1974, which still hosts one of the most prestigious PGA tournaments every year.

1. TIGER WOODS – $800 million

Tiger Woods is the greatest, richest and most famous golfer of all time. Even people who have never followed golf know his name. According to Forbes magazine, he was once the world’s highest-earning athlete for several years in a row. In 2007 alone, he earned a staggering $122 million. He turned pro in 2006 and a year later he had already won the Masters.

Golf has never had another player who was able to win tournaments more regularly in his more unsuccessful period. Between 1997 and 2010, he spent 623 weeks as world number one. He gradually became the face of golf, including a long-running collaboration on a video game from EA Sport. Beyond that, however, he made countless other partnerships, and just about everyone wanted to be associated with his name.

The blemish on his breathtaking ride is the scandals associated with infidelity.

In 2009, he even interrupted his career because of it. Business partners also began to turn their backs and the great career and reputation of the famous Tiger was in ruins. Still, he managed to bounce back from a difficult life situation. In 2019, he made his fans cry when he won again after a spectacular Masters comeback.

However, he didn’t get on the old train of winning tournaments like a treadmill anymore. He is still plagued by endless back problems and has undergone several surgeries. These days he is recovering from a recent serious car accident. No one really knows if he will ever be able to return to the field again. But his fans still want him to.

Source: Yahoo News, Wikipedia