Golf is something that people can enjoy at all ages.  The simple game of hitting a ball with a club and getting it into the hole in as few attempts as possible sounds simple, but in reality it’s one of the most difficult sports to play.  For this reason, the prize purses become large and the endorsement deals are unbelievable.  Many golfers have earned close to a billion dollars from tour earnings and endorsements.  That is NOT a typo.  Today we’ll recap the richest golfers in the world as it currently sits right here in the year 2020.

Who are the Richest Golfers in the World?

20. David Toms – $35 Million

David Toms hails from Munro, Louisiana, where he was born in 1987. He is a professional golfer on the PGA Tour and his long career started many years ago when he was a young boy.

All the way back in 1984, Toms was the winner of the Junior World Golf Championships that year. Not long after graduating from high school, he joined the golf team after being accepted at Louisiana State University or LSU for short.

During his time as a professional golfer throughout his career, Toms was the winner of many events big and small. As a matter of fact, he even won 13 PGA Tour events and finished top 10 on the Official World Ranking for 175 weeks between 2001 and 2006.

During the 2002 to 2003 season, Toms was ranked fifth in the world. His total wins add up to 17 wins between his PGA career and outside of the PGA. This equates to a net worth of $35 million and a very healthy retirement.

19. Sergio Garcia – $40 Million

Sergio Garcia was born in 1980 and he comes from Barriol, Spain. He has two major wins under his belt that most people recognize him for. In 2017 he won the Masters Tournament and walked away with the coveted green jacket. In 2008 he won the Players Championship, which is also a highly coveted prize.

During the bulk of his professional golfing career, Sergio Garcia remained in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings. As a matter of fact, between the year 2000 and 2009, he was a member of the top 10 rankings for 300 weeks. And throughout his entire career he spent 400 weeks as a member of the top 10 official rankings.

Other professional accolades include winning 30 international tournament wins throughout his career as a professional golfer. He was also a Ryder Cup participant. During this tournament, he competed in a total of eight matches out of nine. He is considered one of the all-time top PGA golfers. His net worth is estimated at $40 million at this time.

18. Padraig Harrington – $40 Million

The year was 1971 when Padraig Harrington was born in Dublin, Ireland. He is a player on the PGA Tour. He has won a wide range of tournaments over the years and was even an Official World Golf Ranking top 10 member for more than 300 weeks. He reached the top of his career in July 2008. During 2007-2008 he was the winner of three major championships. In 2007 and 2008, he won the British Open Championship. Also in 2008, he won the PGA Championship.

The first time Harrington won PGA Tour money was in 2005. He entered into a sudden death playoff with Joe Ogilvie and Vijay Singh and emerged victorious. In 2013 and 2014, Harrington started having a difficult time winning his matches. But things began to change in December 2014 on the Asian Tour when he won the Bank BRI Indonesia Open. This win on the Asian Tour was his first in more than four years. In March 2015, Harrington won the European PGA Tour at the Honda Classic. This was his first win in the PGA in seven years. His net worth is believed to be in the neighborhood of $40 million.

17. Luke Donald – $40 Million

Luke Donald is in English professional golfer that was born in 1977. His main focus is playing on the PGA Tour in the United States, and throughout his career he was ranked at number one in the world at one point. He’s also a member of the European Tour too.

In 2011 Donald had one of his most successful years. He won a wide range of awards and tournaments during this year and it was something truly special. He even broke a record during this year. In fact, he was the first to win the European Race to Dubai money list and the PGA Tour money list. During 2011, he was also named Player of the Year, which is the same year where he received his official world golf number one ranking and held it for 40 weeks.

Luke Donald has made a great and successful living as a professional golfer. It’s estimated that his net worth is currently $40 million.

16. Lee Westwood – $42 Million

Lee Westwood is a professional golfer from England that was born in April 1973. He is a consistently excellent golfer and many members of the PGA Tour recognize his consistency throughout his career. In fact, he accomplished a rare feat that hasn’t been achieved by many. He is the winner of tournaments on five different continents, which is exciting, rare, and really unique. The continents he’s won tournaments on include North America, Australia, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Lee Westwood was also named Player of the Year on multiple occasions. He received this honor in 1998, 2000, and again in 2009. His biggest claim to fame isn’t the greatest in the world. He’s known as one of the best players in the world to never win a major championship.

In the Ryder Cup, Westwood was a European representative for 10 years in a row. In 2010 he took the spot as world number one golfer from Tiger Woods and was truly deserving of this honorable title.

Out of many golfers in the world, Lee Westwood maintains a net worth of $42 million which makes him one of the wealthiest professional golfers in history.

15. Lee Trevino – $45 Million

Born in 1939, Lee Trevino is a PGA Tour professional golfer that is retired. He has a wide range of accomplishments that span decades over his career in the sport of golf and has a large list of awards and titles to his name. In fact, he has been so successful in the sport of golf that golf digest named him the 14^th best professional golfer of all time.

Lee Trevino was a Ryder Cup participant on six different occasions in 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1979, and 1981. Even more important to his professional accolades, Trevino was inducted into the world golf Hall of Fame back in 1981. He even won the Vardon Trophy on five different occasions, which they give to the golfer who scored the lowest average. He won those five trophies between 1970 and 1980.

Trevino also experienced another interesting accolade during his era in golf. El Paso, TX named one of the major streets in their community after him. He wrote his autobiography with another author and title did They Call Me Super Mex.

Throughout his years in golf, Trevino has become one of the richest golfers in the world and is currently estimated to have a net worth of $45 million.

14. Annika Sorenstam – $47 Million

The professional retired Swedish born golfer named Annika Sorenstam is looked upon as one of the top female golfers in history. She was born in 1970 and has seen a tremendous amount of success in this sport. Before finally stepping away from professional golf, she was the winner of 90 international tournaments and out of all of the female professional golfers she has more wins than any other.

Of her official golf championships, she has officially won 72 LPGA Tournaments. 10 of those tournaments were majors and she also won 18 international tournaments. In 2006, Sorenstam acquired dual citizenship in Sweden and the United States. She was also considered the Player of the Year on eight different occasions which is also a world record.

Her current net worth is $47 million. This makes her one of the most successful and richest professional golfers in the world and it doesn’t matter if they are male or female.

13. Adam Scott – $48 Million

The Australian golfer Adam Scott was born in July 1980. He is a professional golfer that plays on the PGA Tour. At one point in August 2015, he was considered the number one golfer in the world. On an international level, he has also won 29 professional tournaments throughout the world.

To date, his biggest win was in 2013 when he won the Masters tournament. That win was Scott’s first major championship and it was the first time an Australian won the Masters tournament as well.

His career is filled with many other significant wins. He won the players championship in 2004, the WGC-Bridgestone invitational in 2011, and the WGC-Cadillac championship in 2016. He was also the U.S. Open runner-up in 2012.

In the game of golf, Adam Scott is considered a massive powerhouse. It’s no surprise that he has a net worth of roughly $48 million.

12. Jim Furyk – $50 Million

Jim Furyk is a pro golfer in America who plays on the PGA Tour. From a professional standpoint, he won the FedEx cup in 2010 and he also won the Player of the Year for the PGA in that same year too.

He is the victor in one major championship throughout his career when he won the 2003 U.S. Open. Even more exciting is the record that he holds. He actually has the record for the lowest Pro golf score in the history of the PGA Tour at 58. This happened in 2016 during the final round of the Travelers Championship.

From a ranking standpoint, Furyk reached the top of his game in 2006. At this point in his career, according to the Official World Golf Ranking, he was ranked second in the world. Throughout his entire career, he spent 430 weeks in the top 10 of the official rankings from 1999 to 2015.

All in all, Jim Furyk is one of the top professional golfers in the world and he will remain that way for a long time. He’s also one of the wealthiest to ever play the game and his net worth is currently standing at $50 million.

11. Nick Faldo – $60 Million and

In 1957 in the month of July, Sir Nicholas Alexander Faldo was born. He’s better known to the golfing world is Nick Faldo and is a professional English golfer who plays golf on the European Tour. For the most part, Faldo spends his time as a professional golf analyst, but during his heyday he was one of the best golfers in his era.

According to the Official World Golf Ranking records, Faldo spent 97 weeks as the number one ranked golfer during his professional career. He has 30 European Tour victories and additive that group he won three open championships and three other majors.

Faldo began working for CBS sports in 2006 and became one of their main analysts. He also joined BBC sport in 2012 to provide Open Championship team coverage.

Between the money earned during his golfing career and his time spent as a professional analyst, it’s estimated that Nick Faldo’s net worth is currently hovering around $60 million.

10. Rory McIlroy – $65 Million

In May 1989, the professional golfer from Northern Ireland named Rory McIlroy was born. He is a current member of the PGA Tour and the European Tour. By the time he reached 25 years old, he was already the victor in three majors. And Official World Golf Rankings tell us that he was the number one golfer in the world for a total of 95 weeks.

All in all, McIlroy has a total of four major wins under his belt including the U.S. Open in 2011. He set a record during that tournament by scoring the lowest under par at -16. The following year he set another record in the PGA championship in 2012 when he won the tournament by 8 strokes.

Rory McIlroy is an impressive golfer with an impressive career. It shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that he’s worth $65 million and his career is far from over.

9. Vijay Singh – $75 Million

A Fijian professional golfer was born in 1963 and his name is Vijay Singh. His golfing career was remarkable to say the least and he was one of the best to ever play the game in the PGA.

And speaking of the PGA, he was the PGA Champion twice in 1998 and again in 2004. And he also led the PGA Tour is the top money winner for three years including 2003, 2004, and again in 2008.

He was ranked number one by the official world golf ranking for 32 weeks from 2004 and 2005. He was also the FedEx Cup winner in 2008.

When many think of Vijay Singh, they remember his intense preparation. He’d show up very early on the range to prepare for the event and stay many hours afterward to continue working on his game. In 2005, he entered into the World Golf Hall Of Fame. And his success was very lucrative since he has a net worth of $75 million.

8. Ernie Els – $80 Million

In 1969 in South Africa, a professional golfer named Theodore Ernest Els was born. Because he was such a tall man at 6 feet and 3 inches, he had the very telling nickname The Big Easy. His fluid golf swing was another reason why this nickname fit him so well.

Throughout his impressive career, he won four major championships and a total of 71 victories. His majors include the US Open Championship, the Congressional, Oakmont, and the Open Championship.

Only six golfers have ever won the Open Championship and the US Open twice and Ernie Els is one of them. He’s an official member of the world golf Hall of Fame and he was officially ranked number one during his career. Els currently possesses a net worth of $80 million.

7. Fred Couples – $105 million

An American professional golfer named Frederick Steven Couples was born in 1959. He played for the PGA Tour Champions and the PGA Tour. At one time in his career he was ranked number one throughout the world and he has professional tournament wins on 64 occasions.

Most notably, you’ll recognize that Couples won the Players Championship in 1984 and 1996. He also won the Masters tournament in 1992. He’s in the world golf Hall of Fame as of 2013 and his net worth is in the neighborhood of $105 million.

6. Phil Mickelson – $180 Million

Phil Mickelson, better known by his nickname Lefty in golf circles, is a professional golfer in the PGA. He is one of a few golfers that can successfully play the game left-handed yet he is naturally right-handed.

Born in 1970, Mickelson has 42 career wins including five majors. He won the Masters three times, an Open Championship, and the PGA Championship. Throughout history, only 16 players have won three of the four majors. Mickelson is one of those 16, and the only major he hasn’t won is the U.S. Open. But he was the runner-up in the U.S. Open six times!

Phil Mickelson is a highly recognized golfer and was in the official top 10 for more than 700 weeks. He’s currently worth $180 million.

5. Gary Player – $200 Million

As we enter into the top five, Gary Player starts our list at a $200 million net worth. Born in 1935, he retired and left an amazing legacy in the sport of golf. He won nine major championships during his professional career. He even won the senior British open championship on three occasions as a member of the European Senior Tour after he left the majors.

At 29 years old, Gary player was victorious in 1965 and won the U.S. Open. He is the only non-American to win all four majors otherwise called the Grand Slam.

Throughout his career, Gary player won 165 tournaments on six continents. In 1974 he received an induction to become a member of the World Golf Hall Of Fame.

4. Jack Nicklaus – $280 Million

The Golden Bear a.k.a. Jack Nicklaus is a professional golfer in the United States. He was born in 1940 and began his career early because of his incredible talent.

Throughout his career, Nicklaus won 18 major championships and his wins have racked up a total of 73 PGA Tour victories. This puts him at third place on the all-time list behind Tiger Woods with 79 victories and Sam Snead with 82 victories.

He became a professional golfer at 21 years old and had his first professional win by the time he turned 26. As the fourth wealthiest golfer in the world, Jack Nicklaus is worth $280 million.

3. Greg Norman – $300 Million

Greg Norman is an Australian professional golfer that was born in 1955. He was a boisterous man that looked like he came from the outback while hitting the links. Norman was much more than a professional golfer. He was also a bighearted philanthropist and an impressive entrepreneur.

According to Official World Golf Rankings, Norman was ranked number one in the 1980s and 1990s for 331 weeks. He won two majors, 20 PGA Tour tournaments, and 91 International Tournament wins throughout his career. In 2001 Greg Norman was inducted into the world golf Hall of Fame. He is nicknamed “The Shark” or “the Great White Shark” because he played golf so aggressively.

Norman is one of the richest golfers in the world with a net worth of $300 million.

2. Tiger Woods – $600 Million

Tiger Woods was practically born with a golf club in his hand and there are pictures to prove it. He is one of the most popular golfers ever and you’ll recognize him whether you’re into the sport or not.

Woods has a natural ability to play golf that was cultivated from a very young age. His father trained and encouraged him to become a professional golf master and he achieved his dream by the time he turned 20 years old.

Woods is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. He won his first major championship by winning the Masters in 1997 and continued to dominate from 1999 to 2004. He spent 281 weeks as the number one golfer in the world and he is an 11 time PGA Player of the Year. It’s no surprise to anyone to learn that Tiger Woods is worth $600 million.

1. Arnold Palmer – $675 Million

With a nickname like The King, it shouldn’t surprise anyone to learn that the 1929 born Arnold Palmer is looked upon as the greatest golfer to ever grace the face of the earth. He was an incredible golfer and created some of the most incredible milestones throughout the history of the PGA.

When golf first started airing on television, Arnold Palmer became the original star in the 1950s. He won many events on the PGA Tour Champions and PGA Tour throughout his career. In fact, he won seven majors and 62 PGA Tour titles. Even more telling is that he granted the PGA Tour lifetime achievement award in 1998 and he was one of the first 13 players to receive a World Golf Hall Of Fame induction.

Arnold Palmer is no longer with us because he passed away in September 2016. Before he died he was worth $675 million and he was one of the most revered golfers of all time.

 

 

One of the tour’s more popular players is one I can resonate with – Ricky Fowler.  He grew up riding dirt bikes and playing golf in California before going to college at Oklahoma State on a golf scholarship.  He won the Ben Hogan award in 2008 and racked up a great amateur career before entering the PGA Tour in 2009, and this is when the story of Ricky Fowler’s earnings begins.  Let’s dive in and break down how this PGA Tour star has earned his cash over time.

Ricky Fowler’s Career Earnings

It’s been published that Fowler has a net worth of $18 million, so let’s talk about all the ways he’s earned this great amount of cash.  While that’s just behind Bubba Watson’s earnings that I just wrote about not too long ago, it’s a number I could live with to play golf and be happy.

Speaking of happy, how would you like to have the net worth of Tiger Woods?  The guy should be a billionaire soon!

Ricky Fowler has been bas high as the fourth ranked golfer on the Official World Golf Ranking after he won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.  However, it took him a lot of top ten finishes to get to winning tournaments, as by 2010 he had three runner up finishes.

September of 2010 was a big financial gain for Fowler when he signed a clothing deal with Puma.  Later that month, he was selected as a captain’s pick for the Ryder Cup team, playing for the U.S.A.  This pick made him the youngest player for a U.S. team of all time, and only Sergio Garcia played in the tournament as a younger player, way back in 1999.  In the same year, he won the Rookie of the Year award in a pool of players that also featured Rory McIlroy.

2011 led to many more solid finishes, including a tie for second behind Adam Scott in the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.  While not winning tournaments is painful to golfers, the money that is earned in the top ten is very lucrative, so Fowler’s constant top five finishes helped him amass a lot of his net worth early in his career.  Later in 2011, Fowler got his first professional win by getting a six shot victory over McIlroy at the Kolon Korea Open.  He finished 2011 ranked #32 in the world.

In 2012 he won the Wells Fargo Championship and finished second again at The Players Championship.  In 2013 he finished runner up in the Australian Players Championship.

2014 saw his best finish at a major tournament, earning 2nd place at the U.S. Open.  In this year, he became only the third player to finish in the top five of all major tournaments, earning major cashes along the way.

2015 saw him winning The Players Championship, his first win in three years.  In a banner year, he also won on the European Tour as well as the Deustche Bank Championship.

In 2016 Fowler once again won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and in 2017 he won The Honda Classic and had another top five finish at the PGA Championship, earning the feat of multiple top five finishes at every major golf tournament.  In 2018, he finished second at The Masters to Patrick Reed.  In 2019 he won the Waste Management Open.

Ricky Fowler Sponsorships

In 2019 Ricky Fowler signed with Taylor Made and he uses their balls and gloves.

Puma.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickie_Fowler#

https://www.sportskeeda.com/golf/rickie-fowler-net-worth