Professional golf net worth is a unique sport in a couple of ways.
One is that on-course earnings are typically based on performance rather than signing a contract that secures your winnings ahead of time. LIV Golf threw a wrench into this but I don’t think there are more LIV contracts coming.
It’s an interesting dynamic. You eat what you kill and that money has gone up astronomically over the past few years.
The other part of this is how golfers can truly form their own brands and enter into a number of business ventures.
You can easily get into course design, apparel, wine, other golf leagues even before your best playing days are over. That’s not even counting the more traditional brand partnerships the top stars can receive.
All of this leads into today’s article—the top 10 golfers by net worth.
According to various sources and estimations, here is the list.
10. Ernie Els (~$85 million)
Maybe a bit of a surprise but Els is quietly a terrific businessman.
Els made nearly $50 million on the PGA Tour and another $31 million on the DP World Tour. That’s not including his PGA Tour Champions earnings (more than $12 million).
But Els was also pulling in more than $12 million per year for corporate sponsorship during his prime. That led into other ventures like course design, a line of wines and strategic tech investments like the 18Birdies app.
9. Sergio Garcia (~$100 million)
Garcia’s money has been made mostly on the course.
He won more than $55 million on the PGA Tour and $40 million on the DP World Tour, winning 38 times.
And, of course, he parlayed that into a ton of money with LIV. He has made $51 million on-course with LIV but that doesn’t include a signing bonus worth a reported $40 million.
Garcia also had deals with TaylorMade, UBS and BMW throughout his career.
8. Dustin Johnson (~$100 million)
This one should come as no surprise.
Johnson made more than $75 million on the PGA Tour which doesn’t include FedEx Cup bonus money.
In 2022, he signed a landmark contract with LIV reportedly worth more than $125 million. He then made $67 million from the league including an $18-million bonus for winning the inaugural individual championship.
He also has held partnerships with brands such as TaylorMade, adidas, NetJets and BodyArmor (where he held an equity stake).
7. Jon Rahm (~$200-$300 million)
A theme on this list, Rahm’s fortune mainly comes from LIV.
His initial deal in December 2023 was worth a reported $300 million but he has since made another $100 million in LIV tournaments. And none of that includes the $48 million he made on the PGA Tour prior to switching leagues.
Rahm has also built significant secondary income through long-term corporate sponsorships with major brands such as Callaway, Mercedes-Benz and Rolex.
6. Gary Player (~$250 million)
Despite winning nine major championships and 24 total Tour events, Gary Player’s official PGA Tour on-course career earnings total just $1.8 million (Chris Gotterup nearly made the same amount for winning the John Deere Classic).
Even if you account for all 165 professional victories across all tours, Player only made about $14 million on the course.
Instead, Player’s fortune came almost exclusively from his post-playing career where golf course design, real estate and corporate sponsorship have been lucrative.
His global design firm has shaped more than 400 courses across five continents, commanding design fees ranging from $1 million to upwards of $3 million per project.
He also had/has high-profile partnerships with Rolex, Coca-Cola and Callaway (he signed with PXG in 2019).
5. Rory McIlroy (~$330-$350 million)
Finally a non-LIV player!
McIlroy has blown past $100 million in PGA Tour earnings—he is No. 2 behind Tiger Woods on the Tour’s all-time career earnings list—but his wealth has largely been amassed through a wide array of endorsements and business ventures.
Earning an estimated $35 million to $45 million annually off the course, he is easily one of the most marketable athletes globally. His primary sponsors include a massive apparel and footwear deal with NIKE, a 10-year equipment deal with TaylorMade, and lucrative partnerships with Omega and Workday.
In 2019, he founded Symphony Ventures, a venture capital firm that holds investments in companies like Whoop and TickPick. Additionally, he co-founded TMRW Sports alongside Tiger Woods, launching the TGL simulator league.
4. Phil Mickelson (~$350 million)
We might have to revisit this one as Mickelson’s reputation and goodwill have recently plummeted to unspeakable lows (not to mention his propensity for gambling away hundreds of millions).
However, Mickelson is No. 4 on the PGA Tour’s all-time career earnings list ($96 million) and made a reported $200 million with a LIV signing bonus.
Over the decades, Mickelson earned upwards of $750 million in off-course earnings. Long-term partnerships with major brands like Callaway, KPMG and Rolex contributed immensely to his bank account. He is no longer with Callaway nor KPMG.
Mickelson’s future earnings plan to be far more limited than expected at this point.
3. Jack Nicklaus (~$400 million)
Similar to Gary Player, Nicklaus didn’t make very much money on the course. His total is around $9 million, with about $5.7 million being on then PGA Tour. Surprisingly, about 40 percent of his earnings came from the PGA Tour Champions senior circuit.
His primary money maker over the years has been Nicklaus Design which has developed more than 400 courses.
Nicklaus also maintained highly profitable partnerships with brands like Rolex, Perry Ellis and the Arizona Beverage Company.
He has also added money from his “Golden Bear” brand and classic instructional books (like “Golf My Way”) that have provided substantial royalties for decades.
2. Greg Norman (~$450 million)
Arguably golf’s greatest businessman/salesman, Norman created a true brand with Great White Shark Enterprises.
Early strategic investments—such as a $2-million stake in COBRA golf clubs that netted him $40 million over a decade—kickstarted his portfolio. He parlayed that into a thriving golf course design business, real estate development, a lifestyle apparel line and a private equity firm that acquired golf management company Troon Golf.
Prior to that, he spent 331 weeks as the world’s top-ranked golfer, earning nearly $15 million in official prize money and an estimated $680 million overall on and off the course during his peak playing days.
He also made a pretty penny as the longtime CEO of LIV Golf.
1. Tiger Woods (~$1.4-1.5 billion)
Even though Woods is No. 1 in career earnings on the PGA Tour ($121 million), most of his fortune has been amassed away from the course.
His nearly 30-year partnership with NIKE alone has generated an estimated $660 million. He has also signed massive deals with brands such as Rolex, Gatorade, TaylorMade and Monster Energy.
Through his parent company, TGR Ventures, Woods owns the TGR Design golf course architecture firm, TGR Live event production and The Woods Jupiter restaurant in Florida. He is also an equity partner in the mini-golf chain PopStroke and, along with McIlroy, co-founded the tech-focused sports venture TMRW Sports.
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