It is no secret that elite-level athletes earn astronomical sums of money. We often hear about how much the latest NFL quarterback makes or how a Premier League soccer player has just put pen to paper on a multi-million dollar contract. But what about golf? Did you know that the top five money earners on the PGA Tour have combined prize money of $391,576,839? Between them, they have likely earned double that through the various endorsement deals that are prevalent in the sport. Who are those top five golf winners, and how much have they won?
Tiger Woods – $120,895,206
Even if you do not know much about golf, it probably not surprise you to learn Tiger Woods is golf’s biggest earner and is so by quite a distance. Woods has accumulated an eye-popping $120,895,206 in prize money on the PGA Tour, almost $50 million more than his nearest rival.
Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2021, Woods dominated the sport throughout the late 1990s and 2000s. He was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year ten times between 1997-2009 and was always the overwhelming favorite with the best online golf betting sites whenever he entered a competition. A joint-record 82 PGA Tour victories, including 15 major championships (the second most in history), show how incredible Woods is at golf. His best years are behind him, but Woods still has a remarkable presence whenever he competes.
Jim Furyk – $71,507,269
Jim Furyk is best known for his rather unorthodox golf swing, but it is a swing that works, as his $71,507,269 career earnings show. Now 52 years old, Furyk is not the force he once was, but the Pennsylvania native still competes at the highest level.
Furyk has never been ranked number one in the world but reached the lofty height of second in September 2006. He has one major championship, the 2003 U.S. Open, and holds the record for the lowest score in PGA Tour history, shooting 58 at the 2016 Travelers Championship.
The fact Fuyrk has more than $71.5 million in earnings despite only winning one major shows his consistency over a long period.
Vijay Singh – $71,236,216
Vijay Singh is another legend of golf, one with $71,236,216 in career earnings on the PGA Tour. Singh turned professional in 1982 and still enters events today, despite him being 59 years old. “The Big Fijian” has won 35 PGA Tour events, including a trio of majors, the last being the PGA Championship in 2014.
Singh was the world number one for 32 weeks in 2004 and 2005 and was the only new number one in the 2000s decade, a decade Tiger Woods dominated. Rightly so, the World Golf Hall of Fame inducted Singh in 2005.
Rory McIlroy – $68,064,549
Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy has $68,064,549 in career PGA Tour earnings but has every chance of reaching at least second place in the all-time money listings because he is still only 33 years old. One would like to think McIlroy still has several years at the top of his game before age becomes a factor.
McIlroy is the current world’s number one, a position he has held for more than 100 weeks during his career. He was only the third person, along with Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, to win four majors by the age of 25.
The Irishman is exceptionally marketable in golf and has several high-profile endorsement deals. He signed a 10-year $100 million contract with Nike in 2013 before extending it for another ten years in 2017, earning him $200 million. Nike exited the golf equipment market, allowing McIlroy to put pen to paper on a $100 million 10-year deal with Taylormade.
Adam Scott – $59,873,599
Australia’s Adam Scott has $59,873,599 in PGA Tour winnings thanks, in part, to 14 PGA Tour wins and one major championship, the 2013 Masters Tournament. Scott is the only Australian to have won the Masters.
Only three Australian golfers have been world number one in the PGA Tour rankings. The legendary Greg Norman was the first; Normal spent 331 weeks at the rankings’ summit. Scott became the number one in May 2014 and spent 11 weeks at the top. Only Jason Day has achieved the same feat since.