News: The top 50 earners in golf and how they earn it
As we are often reminded ‘these guys are good’. They are also rich, stinking rich.
Every year Golf Digest put together a list of the game’s biggest earners and every year the rest of us scratch our heads and feel slightly nauseous at the figures that are talked about.
This year, for the first time in 13 years, Tiger Woods has been knocked off the top spot by Jordan Spieth. Woods is down to number three though his on-course earnings of $551,098 (not bad for such a poor year) were boosted by $48m off it.
Three of the top 10 – Player, Nicklaus and Palmer – have a combined age of 241.
And three women, Paula Creamer, Lydia Ko and Stacy Lewis, all feature though there was no place for Michelle Wie or the second best player in the world Inbee Park.
Spieth earned more than $23m on the course and approximately $30m off it. He has a 10-year deal with Under Armour which includes equity in the company and his other big sponsorship are AT&T, Titleist and Rolex.
Phil Mickelson sits in second spot despite not winning a tournament in 2015.
How the numbers are measured
On-course earnings include all Tours and unofficial money won in non-Tour events
Off-course earnings includes estimates of all money earned from endorsements, bonuses, appearance fees, corporate outings, speaking engagements, licensing fees (video games, trading cards, etc.), course architecture, books, instructional videos and businesses that capitalize on a person’s status as a player.
Figures were compiled through interviews with agents, players and industry experts.
The list
50) PAULA CREAMER
ON COURSE: $363,485 OFF COURSE: $4,750,000 TOTAL: $5,113,485
49) PADRAIG HARRINGTON
ON COURSE: $1,491,667 OFF COURSE: $3,750,000 TOTAL: $5,241,667
48) SANGMOON BAE
ON COURSE: $2,794,632 OFF COURSE: $2,500,000 TOTAL: $5,294,632
47) LYDIA KO
ON COURSE: $3,800,802 OFF COURSE: $1,500,000 TOTAL: $5,300,802
46) DANNY LEE
ON COURSE: $4,515,933 OFF COURSE: $850,000 TOTAL: $5,365,933
45) BILL HAAS
ON COURSE: $3,309,024 OFF COURSE: $2,250,000 TOTAL: $5,559,024
44) IAN POULTER
ON COURSE: $2,154,348 OFF COURSE: $3,500,000 TOTAL: $5,654,348
43) PAUL CASEY
ON COURSE: $3,768,311 OFF COURSE: $2,000,000 TOTAL: $5,768,311
42) STACY LEWIS
ON COURSE: $1,893,423 OFF COURSE: $4,000,000 TOTAL: $5,893,423
41) HUNTER MAHAN
ON COURSE: $2,167,579 OFF COURSE: $3,750,000 TOTAL: $5,917,579
40) KEEGAN BRADLEY
ON COURSE: $2,167,579 OFF COURSE: $3,750,000 TOTAL: $5,917,579
39) GRAEME MCDOWELL
ON COURSE: $1,188,463 OFF COURSE: $4,750,000 TOTAL: $5,938,463
38) LUKE DONALD
ON COURSE: $1,994,152 OFF COURSE: $4,000,000 TOTAL: $5,994,152
37) CHARLEY HOFFMAN
ON COURSE: $4,546,129 OFF COURSE: $1,500,000 TOTAL: $6,046,129
36) PATRICK REED
ON COURSE: $4,321,960 OFF COURSE: $1,750,000 TOTAL: $6,071,960
35) J.B. HOLMES
ON COURSE: $4,369,930 OFF COURSE: $1,750,000 TOTAL: $6,119,930
34) RYO ISHIKAWA
ON COURSE: $1,134,487 OFF COURSE: $5,000,000 TOTAL: $6,134,487
33) MIGUEL A. JIMENEZ
ON COURSE: $1,830,883 OFF COURSE: $4,500,000 TOTAL: $6,330,883
32) LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN
ON COURSE: $4,110,531 OFF COURSE: $2,250,000 TOTAL: $6,360,531
31) MARTIN KAYMER
ON COURSE: $2,430,945 OFF COURSE: $4,000,000 TOTAL: $6,430,945
30) LEE WESTWOOD
ON COURSE: $1,421,011 OFF COURSE: $5,750,000 TOTAL: $7,171,011
29) FRED COUPLES
ON COURSE: $729,991 OFF COURSE: $6,500,000 TOTAL: $7,229,991
28) BRANDT SNEDEKER
ON COURSE: $3,985,556 OFF COURSE: $3,500,000 TOTAL: $7,485,556
27) DAVIS LOVE III
ON COURSE: $5,035,850 OFF COURSE: $2,500,000 TOTAL: $7,535,850
26) JIMMY WALKER
ON COURSE: $5,035,850 OFF COURSE: $2,500,000 TOTAL: $7,535,850
25) NICK FALDO
ON COURSE: $47,275 OFF COURSE: $7,500,000 TOTAL: $7,547,275
24) TOM WATSON
ON COURSE: $408,751 OFF COURSE: $7,500,000 TOTAL: $7,908,751
23) ERNIE ELS
ON COURSE: $521,154 OFF COURSE: $8,000,000 TOTAL: $8,521,154
22) HIDEKI MATSUYAMA
ON COURSE: $4,121,146 OFF COURSE: $5,000,000 TOTAL: $9,121,146
21) COLIN MONTGOMERIE
ON COURSE: $2,666,177 OFF COURSE: $6,500,000 TOTAL: $9,166,177
20) MATT KUCHAR
PREVIOUS RANK: 14 ON COURSE: $3,810,304 OFF COURSE: $5,500,000 TOTAL: $9,310,304
19) BERNHARD LANGER
ON COURSE: $3,562,370 OFF COURSE: $5,750,000 TOTAL: $9,312,370
18) ADAM SCOTT
ON COURSE: $1,494,529 OFF COURSE: $8,000,000 TOTAL: $9,494,529
17) JIM FURYK
ON COURSE: $4,112,664 OFF COURSE: $5,750,000 TOTAL: $9,862,664
16) SERGIO GARCIA
ON COURSE: $2,917,143 OFF COURSE: $7,500,000 TOTAL: $10,417,143
15) ZACH JOHNSON
ON COURSE: $5,728,154 OFF COURSE: $5,500,000 TOTAL: $11,228,154
14) GREG NORMAN
ON COURSE: — OFF COURSE: $12,000,000
TOTAL: $12,000,000
13) DUSTIN JOHNSON
ON COURSE: $6,209,467 OFF COURSE: $6,000,000 TOTAL: $12,209,467
12) HENRIK STENSON
ON COURSE: $8,513,827 OFF COURSE: $5,000,000 TOTAL: $13,513,827
11) BUBBA WATSON
ON COURSE: $8,289,297 OFF COURSE: $6,000,000 TOTAL: $14,289,297
10) GARY PLAYER
ON COURSE: — OFF COURSE: $15,000,000
TOTAL: $15,000,000
9) JUSTIN ROSE
ON COURSE: $7,119,762 OFF COURSE: $8,000,000 TOTAL: $15,119,762
8) RICKIE FOWLER
ON COURSE: $8,254,416 OFF COURSE: $9,000,000 TOTAL: $17,254,416
7) JASON DAY
ON COURSE: $11,938,330 OFF COURSE: $7,500,000 TOTAL: $19,438,330
6) JACK NICKLAUS
ON COURSE: $41,500 OFF COURSE: $22,000,000 TOTAL: $22,041,500
5) ARNOLD PALMER
ON COURSE: — OFF COURSE: $40,000,000
TOTAL: $40,000,000
4) RORY McILROY
ON COURSE: $9,468,190 OFF COURSE: $37,500,000 TOTAL: $46,968,190
3) TIGER WOODS
ON COURSE: $551,098 OFF COURSE: $48,000,000 TOTAL: $48,551,098
2) PHIL MICKELSON
ON COURSE: $2,301,730 OFF COURSE: $50,000,000 TOTAL: $52,301,730
1) JORDAN SPIETH
ON COURSE: $23,030,465 OFF COURSE: $30,000,000 TOTAL: $53,030,465
