Explore our article about the 10 richest golfers in the world. From legends like Arnold Palmer to today’s stars like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, discover their incredible careers and financial success both on and off the course.
Who are the Richest Golfers of All Time?
- Arnold Palmer
- Tiger Woods
- Phil Mickelson
- Jack Nicklaus
- Greg Norman
- Gary Player
- Rory McIlroy
- Fred Couples
- Jordan Spieth
- Ernie Els
1. Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer was an American golfer with an estimated net worth of $875 million. He won 62 professional golf tournaments between 1955 and 1973. Among those victories, he was also able to win 10 tournaments on the Championship Tour.
Arnold Palmer is known to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. In 1974, Palmer was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. If you interested in women golf, you can read about the best female golfers of all time.
Arnold Palmer died on September 25, 2016. Over his lifetime, his earnings from golf and outside income earned him around $1.3 billion.
His estate accumulated more than $40 million in the year following his death, making him the second highest-paid deceased celebrity in the world.
2. Tiger Woods – Richest Golf Player in the World
Tiger Woods is one of the best golfers in history, with a net worth of 800 million dollars. Throughout his professional career he has 82 PGA Tour victories and 15 majors, and he is still playing. Since Tiger turned professional in 1996, he has earned more than $1.4 billion from his sponsors.
His success in golf has led him to buy a $55 million mansion in Jupiter, Florida, complete with a private golf course and a 155-foot yacht.
Although most of his money comes from those endorsements, Woods was able to win more than $120 million in tournaments. Tiger Woods is still playing on the PGA Tour and will most likely surpass Arnold Palmer as the richest golfer of all time.
3. Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson is an American golfer who has a net worth of $400 million. He has won an impressive 45 PGA Tour events and has numerous endorsement deals. Mickelson has also won six major championships, three of which were Masters victories.
He first joined the PGA Tour in 1992 and continues to play to this day. In fact, he has the longest streak among the top 50 golfers at 26 years.
Mickelson has earned more than $88 million in tournament prize money throughout his career. A significant portion of his earnings also comes from sponsorships. He is sponsored by Callaway, KPMG, Exxon Mobil and Amgen, which further increases his net worth.
4. Jack Nicklaus
Known as the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus is one of the greatest golfers of all time and has a net worth of about $320 million. Throughout his 25 years playing on the PGA Tour, Nicklaus won 73 PGA Tour events, 18 of which were majors.
He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 and also founded his own tournament, The Memorial, held annually in Dublin, Ohio.
Jack Nicklaus is also a well-known golf course designer, which earns him a large sum of money. In collaboration with his younger sons, they opened Nicklaus Design, which has designed more than 410 courses in 45 different countries.
5. Greg Norman – One of the Richest Golfers
Greg Norman is an Australian professional golfer with an estimated net worth of $300 million. He has achieved a total of 91 victories in professional golf between the PGA, the European Tour and the Australasia Tour.
He has also won two first place trophies at the Open Championship. Most of Greg Norman’s profits come from his businesses.
Norman has designed golf bags, a clothing line, an eyewear brand and even a wine company he started in 1996. In addition, he has a partnership with a real estate company, a golf academy, a private equity firm and a wakeboard park.
Greg Norman is easily one of the richest golfers in history thanks to his ability to succeed both as a golfer and as an entrepreneur.
6. Gary Player
Gary Player is a retired South African professional golfer who currently has a net worth of $250 million. He is the third most winningest professional golfer in PGA history.
Player has 163 career professional victories, nine of which were major victories. When Gary Player started playing golf at the age of 14, it took him only three years to turn professional.
His success has even extended beyond golf, opening many businesses, such as a real estate company and a golf academy. He is known to have one of the largest fan bases in the world due to his easy going personality and love for the game of golf.
7. Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy is an Irish professional golfer with a net worth of approximately $130 million. He has been a star on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. Since turning pro in 2017, McIlroy has won 20 times on the PGA Tour and 14 times on the European Tour.
He has even won four major championships, including the PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014.
Although he hasn’t won a major championship since the 2014 PGA Championship, McIlroy continues to earn big money from his endorsements. McIlroy, one of the sport’s biggest sponsors, has been endorsing Nike for years.
8. Fred Couples
Fred Couples is an American professional golfer; his net worth is estimated at $120 million. Couples began playing on the PGA Tour in 1980, and in 1992 he became the number one golfer in the world and remained number one for 16 consecutive weeks.
Over the course of his career he came in first in 15 PGA Tour events.
At the 1992 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, Couples claimed his first and only major victory.
Like other professional golfers, Couples has been an important part of designing some of the most beautiful golf courses in the world. In 2011, Couples won his first-ever senior major at the Seniors Player Championship.
9. Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth is an American professional golfer with a net worth of $110 million. He discovered his passion for golf at the age of 12. Nine years later, at 21, he won the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year. At 23, he claimed his third major victory at the 2017 British Open.
Although Spieth has not had a major win since 2017, his endorsements have significantly boosted his wealth. His sponsorships include the following companies: Wheaties, Coca-Cola and Rolex. In 2018, he was ranked as one of the 25 highest paid athletes in the world.
10. Ernie Els
Ernie Els, one of the tallest golfers to ever play on the PGA Tour, or “The Big Easy,” has a net worth of $85 million. Hailing from South Africa, Ernie has won 19 times on the PGA Tour and 28 on the European Tour.
One of his most notable statistics is that he is one of only six golfers to have won the U.S. Open and the Open Championship twice. In 2011, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Honorable Mentions
Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh is a professional golfer with an estimated net worth of $75 million. Singh has won three major championships in his career and a total of 34 PGA Tour events. He was world number one for 32 weeks in the 2004-2005 season.
Sergio Garcia
Sergio Garcia is a Spanish professional golfer with an estimated net worth of $70 million. He plays on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour and has won over $40 million in prize money.
Not only has he won 36 professional tournaments worldwide, but he also won the 2017 Masters tournament. At the peak of his career, he reached number two in the world ranking.
Nick Faldo
Nick Faldo is an English professional golfer who has a net worth of $60 million. He has a long list of achievements as a golfer, including six major championship titles. At one point in his career, he was ranked number one in the world for 97 weeks. Faldo was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 1998.
His net worth comes from multiple sources of income, including his tournament victories, numerous endorsements, business investments and his career as a television commentator following his retirement from professional golf.
Conclusion About Richest Golfers
In brief, we’ve explored the richest golfers, including legends like Arnold Palmer and modern stars like Tiger Woods. Their achievements, both in golf and in business, have made them incredibly rich and iconic.
F.A.Q
Who is the richest golf player of all time❓
Tiger Woods.
Is Rory McIlroy rich❓
McIlroy, a four-time major champion, is one of the richest golfers of all time.
How did these golfers amass their wealth❓
These golfers earned their wealth through tournament winnings, lucrative endorsement deals, business ventures, and investments.
How much does Nike pay Tiger Woods❓
$500 million.