Tiger Woods, for many people alive, is the greatest golfer they have ever laid eyes on. But now, he’s the richest golfer we’ve ever laid eyes on.
Move over Michael Jordan and LeBron James, there’s a new member of the athlete billionaire club, according to Forbes.
He’s now also among the richest Black people in the world, even if he doesn’t claim his blackness all the time.
Despite the injury, controversy, failure and triumph that Tiger has gone through, he’s still been able to reach the 10-figure mark.
Tiger has brought in over $1.7 billion dollars in salary, endorsements and other income during his 27-year career as a professional golfer. That is the most any athlete has ever amounted to before retiring.
As a professional golfer, Tiger has won 15 major championships (five Masters, four PGA Championships, three U.S. Opens and three Open Championships). He is also the all-time record holder for wins on the PGA Tour.
While Tiger is not at the level of athlete he was 20 years ago, he still is considered the most feared golfer in the history of the sport.
Tiger hit the billion-dollar mark despite turning down the astronomical offer from the Saudi-Arabian LIV Golf tour, which would have reportedly been in the “high nine digits,” according to the Washington Post.
Shockingly, less than 10% of Tiger’s net worth comes from his winnings as a professional golfer. Most of his fortune comes from endorsement deals from a plethora of brands such as Gatorade, Monster Energy, TaylorMade, Rolex and Nike, who he’s been signed with since 1996.
From Forbes:
Woods has used his status and earnings to expand into an array of other ventures, which now include a golf design business (TGR Design), a live events production company (TGR Live) and a restaurant (The Woods). Through TGR Ventures, Woods has taken stakes in Full Swing, a golf technology training tool; Heard, a hospitality software startup; and PopStroke, a luxury mini-golf experience with four locations in Florida and plans to open a half-dozen more locations across the country in 2022. Woods is also identified as a partner in a SPAC announced in January, and he is an investor alongside British billionaire Joe Lewis’ Tavistock Group, golfing rival Ernie Els and Justin Timberlake in NEXUS Luxury Collection, a group of clubs and resorts.
Woods at his peak was one of the most dominant and popular athletes in the world and was a huge reason why many even took the time to watch golf tournaments. If Tiger wasn’t on, people were not tuning in. It was called the “Tiger Effect.” I mean just look at some of the crowds he’s amassed at tournaments.
From now on Tiger will be hitting birdies and billions.