Forbes released the list of golfers who earned the most money last year, with “Lefty” number one thanks to its $138 million in earnings. The sum puts him eight million above Lionel Messi, who in May was named by the same media as the athlete with the most earnings on and off the pitch.
The LIV has not only turned the world of golf upside down. The arrival of the Saudi Super League also caused the sports world in general to start changing the way we understood it. The millions of piecework they have given their athletes (many without even achieving great results in the event), place their participants among the highest paid athletes on the planet. The great example Phil Mickelson, who according to the magazine Forbes reaches 138 million earnings (adding tournaments and sponsorships) a figure that puts it at the top of the list.
But it wasn’t just “Lefty” who managed to skyrocket his earnings, as Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau also put his name on the front page of Forbes magazine. All three are among the 11 highest paid athletes on the planet. . In the world of golf, the influence of LIV is even more noticeable: seven of his athletes are among the top ten earning golfers.
Figures that demonstrate the economic potential of an event that is still in its infancy and which, despite the lack of major sponsors or a TV broadcast signal, is already wreaking havoc at the factory level . With a monetary injection of 2,400 million dollars for the next two seasons the LIV managed to increase the earnings of the ten highest paid golfers in the world by 370 million, reaching a total loot of 650 million US dollars.
In this list, the name that stands out the most is that of Phil Mickelson. The six-major winner was the main face of the new tour and according to Forbes this was paid for with a $200 million bonus, half of which he received up front. This caused a breakdown of 102 million sports profits and 36 million for sponsors . A total that places him eight million above Lionel Messi, who until May was the highest paid athlete in the world. At 52, “Lefty” reaches this position for the first time in history, also managing to exceed one billion dollars in professional earnings thanks to his new contract with LIV.
The next golfer on the list of the highest paid athletes in the world is Dustin Johnson, who rose to fifth place after joining the new circuit. Behind the aforementioned Mickelson and Messi, the American also couldn’t beat LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo, with their combined 97 million on and off the pitch.
Johnson left the PGA at the age of 38 and mainly motivated by a 62 million bonus just for signing with LIV . “Playing less golf for more money makes sense,” he commented after his betrayal of the North American tour was over. Today, Neymar, Curry, Durant and Federer all despise him when it comes to winnings.
The other golfer to make the list is Bryson DeChambeau. The ‘Scientist’ added 86 million in the last twelve months and was 11th on the list, over names like Tom Brady and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The born in Modesto, California won $560,000 in his first tournament at LIV Golf, almost triple what he had won in the last seven PGA events in which he participated.
If the conversation is about the world of golf, according to data published by Forbes, seven of the ten golfers who have earned the most money in the last year have come from LIV Golf, Tiger Woods being the first outside this organization to appear. in the loan. The Cypress native managed to rack up 68 million in profits, which clearly came from sponsorship rights . In the peloton, Tiger only played three events in the season, receiving just $43,000 in prize money.
Highest paid athletes:
1) Phil Mickelson: $138 million ($68 on the pitch and $36 from endorsements)
2) Lionel Messi: 130 million dollars (75 on the pitch and 55 for sponsors)
3) LeBron James: $121 million (41 on the field and 80 for endorsements)
4) Cristiano Ronaldo: 115 million dollars (60 on the pitch and 55 for sponsorships)
5) Dustin Johnson: $97 million ($68 from the field and $29 from endorsements)
6) Neymar: 95 million dollars (70 on the pitch and 20 for sponsorships)
7) Stephen Curry: $93 million ($46 on the pitch and $47 from endorsements)
8) Kevin Durant: $92 million (42 on the pitch and 50 for endorsements)
9) Roger Federer: 91 million dollars (1 on the pitch and 90 for sponsorships)
10) Canelo Álvarez: 90 million dollars (85 on the pitch and 5 for sponsors)
Highest paid golfers:
1) Phil Mickelson: $138 million ($68 on the pitch and $36 from endorsements)
2) Dustin Johnson: $97 million ($68 from the field and $29 from endorsements)
3) Bryson DeChambeau: $86 million ($66 on the pitch and $20 from endorsements)
4) Brooks Koepka: $69 million ($53 from the field and $16 from endorsements)
5) Tiger Woods: $68 million ($0 on the pitch and $68 from endorsements)
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Source: Latercera
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
