Some of the biggest names in golfing history have made Sportico’s latest list which details the top 50 richest athletes of all time.
And mainly due to off-course earning in design and other business, there are eight golfers who have made the list, with four of them retired legends of the game and another in Tiger Woods nearing the end of his career.
Basketball great Michael Jordan tops the list with non-adjusted earnings of $3bn, and although a distant second, Woods is still the next best with his $1.91bn fortune according to Sportico.
Thanks to their brands and prolific course design businesses, Jack Nicklaus and the late, great Arnold Palmer come in at sixth and seventh on the list due to their earnings being adjusted for inflation to compare with modern-day sports stars.
Phil Mickelson in 11th has earned more actual money that Nicklaus and Palmer as one of nine stars on the list to have broken the $1bn barrier, with his earnings to the end of 2024 getting a huge boost from his LIV Golf signing bonus.
Prolific businessman Greg Norman makes the list in 15th while Rory McIlroy is the only fully active current PGA Tour player to make the list with his $640m putting him in 24th.
McIlroy, of course, will get another boost to his earning with his early-season victories in 2025 including at The Masters, which saw him break through the $100 million mark in tournament earnings.
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Ernie Els also makes the list in 35th with fellow South African Gary Player joining him just a couple of places lower in 37th.
Golf has the second-most players in the top 50 with eight, behind only basketball which provides 13 of the top 50 earners of all time.
| Rank | Player | Actual earnings | Inflation adjusted | Header Cell – Column 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2. | Tiger Woods | $1.91bn | $2.79bn | Row 0 – Cell 4 |
| 6. | Arnold Palmer | $885m | $1.82bn | Row 1 – Cell 4 |
| 7. | Jack Nicklaus | $910m | $1.75bn | Row 2 – Cell 4 |
| 11. | Phil Mickelson | $1.08bn | $1.49bn | Row 3 – Cell 4 |
| 15. | Greg Norman | $735m | $1.14bn | Row 4 – Cell 4 |
| 24. | Rory McIlroy | $640m | $770m | Row 5 – Cell 4 |
| 35. | Ernie Els | $450m | $685m | Row 6 – Cell 4 |
| 37. | Gary Player | $375m | $670m | Row 7 – Cell 4 |
Sportico says the totals quoted for the rankings are estimates based on “conversations with industry insiders, Sportico research and historical estimates in media outlets, such as Forbes and Sports Illustrated”.
Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 – Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he’s conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England’s Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
