Golf's Top 10 earners of all time
By: Golf Shake | Tue 17 Nov 2015
Post by Sports Writer, Derek Clements
Golf has long been a lucrative game. Big money is available for winning tournaments and with the creation of the FedEx Cup and Race Dubai the players are rewarded hansomely, but it is off the course where the real money is made. So who are the biggest earners in the game?
It may surprise you to learn that top of the pile in 2015 is Phil Mickelson, who has replaced his great rival, Tiger Woods as number one. Mickelson’s game is in decline but that makes him no less attractive to sponsors. He earns well in excess of $40m a year from appearances and sponsorship deals with the likes of Callaway, Barclays, KPMG, Exxon Mobile, Rolex and Amgen, all blue-chip companies. During his illustrious career he has earned $77m in prize money alone, second only to Woods. His 2015 earnings total $50.8m, just $200,000 more than that coined in by Woods – when you consider that Woods spent almost the entire year injured or missing cuts, $50.6m represents a pretty good return.
In third place on $48m comes Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman lost a big chunk of the year through injury and was unable to defend his title at The Open. He also had to fork out a large chunk of money to his former management company, but he can now look forward to increasing his income. His main sponsors are Nike, Upper Deck, Santander, Omega, Bose and Electronic Arts – he is the face of the company’s Rory McIlroy PGA Tour video game.
Next comes Spieth with his $45m, and then it is a big drop to fifth place, occupied by Justin Rose, whose earnings on and off the course “only” total $21m. He has deals with TaylorMade, Adidas, Ashworth and British Airways.
One to watch out for is Jason Day, whose star is now on the rise after his victory in the US PGA Championship. The Australian could easily see his earnings top $40m or even more if he continues his rivalry with Spieth and McIlroy.
But don’t run away with the idea that all tour professionals earn vast amounts of money. The truth is that most struggle to make ends meet. Tournament golf is all about dreams, but spare a thought for Thomas Elissalde, a 23-year-old Frenchman. He has a world ranking of 1,703 and played on the European Challenge Tour in 2015. Elissalde took part in 16 events. His earnings? A grand total of 558 euros. He missed 14 cuts. Bear in mind that the Challenge Tour travels all over the continent so Elissalde has had to pay air fares and hotel bills.
And will he be back to try again in 2016? You bet he will. The Frenchman still believes that the big breakthrough is just around the corner.
So who are the men who have accumulated the biggest fortunes as a result of their skills as professional golfers? You may be surprised by the identity of the man who tops the list.
10. Nick Faldo, net worth $60m
Englishman Faldo won The Open and The Masters three times each. He enjoyed tremendous success on both the European and PGA Tours and was a stalwart of the European Ryder Cup team. He designs golf courses and earns plenty of money as a respected analyst and commentator for CBS Sports.
9. Ernie Els, net worth $75m
The Big Easy is a former world number one who spent an incredible 788 weeks in the top 10. He won The Open and US Open twice each, won 19 titles on the PGA Tour and 28 on the European Tour. He is now a renowned course designer and has earned many awards for his Ernie Els Wines
8. Vijay Singh, net worth $75m
Singh is one of the hardest-working of all tour professionals and still competes on the PGA Tour in his fifties. In 2004 and 2005, he reached the top of the world rankings and has won three majors and 56 other titles.
7. Fred Couples, net worth $105m
The American, known as 'Boom Boom', has 63 professional wins to his name, including the 1992 Masters. He now plays mainly on the Champions Tour, where he still earns plenty of money, and designs golf courses.
6. Phil Mickelson, net worth $180m
Mickelson has won five majors and is second to Woods on the PGA Tour’s list of all-time career earnings. However, he makes more money from sponsorship endorsements and in 2011 he was the second-highest paid athlete in the US.
5. Gary Player, net worth $200m
Player won 165 professional tournaments, including golf’s Grand Slam, repeating the feat on the Champions Tour. His playing career lasted more than six decades and at the age of 80 he still beats his age almost every time he plays. A fitness fanatic, the South African has also made money from golf books, designing golf courses, breeding thoroughbred horses and many other business ventures.
4. Jack Nicklaus, net worth $280m
The Golden Bear is the greatest player in the history of golf and won an incredible 18 majors in a career that spanned from 1961 to 2005. He heads up one of the world’s largest golf course design companies and his golf instruction video has sold more copies than any other. He remains one of the most highly respected figures in the game.
3. Greg Norman, net worth $300m
The Australian, known as the Great White Shark, won 90 professional tournaments, including two majors and is a former world number one. His Great White Shark Enterprises earns him vast amounts of money from golf course design, wine and even beef exports.
2. Tiger Woods, net worth $550m
Between 1997, when he won The Masters, and 2010, Woods dominated the world of golf and broke records galore. Then came the sex scandal that destroyed his image as a family man. Divorce followed, as did a plunge down the rankings. He lost some sponsors, but Nike stood by him and he made a comeback, although he hasn’t won a major since 2008. Despite a series of injuries, he still ranks as one of the world’s highest paid athletes.
1. Arnold Palmer, net worth $675m
Known as The King, and with good reason. Palmer is now 86 years old but is earning more now than he ever did when he was in his prime. He won seven majors and was a superstar of the fairways with a legion of fans known as Arnie’s Army. He now makes even more money through golf-related business ventures, including golf course design, and has a drink and an airport named after him.
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