A new study claims that four of the world’s best golfers are also among the 15 highest off-field earners in all of sport.
It might be no surprise that Tiger Woods features high in that list.
But Rory McIlroy is close behind while Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler complete golf’s wealthy quartet.
The 15-time major championship winner Woods ranks sixth with off-field estimated earnings of $55 million.
How does that compare with the top five?
Well, according to olbg.com, the top off-field earner in all of sports is basketball’s LeBron James who the study says earned $80 million in 2024. It adds that he has an estimated net worth of $1 billion.
Footballer Lionel Messi is second with estimated 2024 off-field earnings of $70 million.
He’s followed by basketballer Giannis Antekounmpo ($65 million), then comes the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and baseball star Shohei Ohtani (both $60 million).
After Woods at six is the basketball pair Steph Curry ($50 million) and Kevin Durant ($45.5 million).
McIlroy slips in just behind them on an estimate of $45 million.
He is the only Great Britain and Northern Ireland athlete in the top 10. “His earnings stem from lucrative endorsements with brands such as Nike and TaylorMade, as well as his own clothing line and golf course design ventures,” says the study.
Rahm and Scheffler are tied 12th on $20 million.
The only other golfer in the top 50 is Australia’s Cameron Smith, ranked 40th at $4 million.
For what it’s worth. Rahm is second only to Ronaldo in the estimated complete earnings for 2024.
It claims Rahm earned $198 million on the course for a grand total income of $218 million. Ronaldo’s total income was estimated at $260 million.
