8 Things Tiger Woods Could Have Bought With $800m

Some of the sums of money reportedly paid to players to lure them to the LIV Golf Invitational Series have been staggering, from the $125m apparently paid to Dustin Johnson to the even larger figure said to have been paid to Phil Mickelson to sign up for the Saudi-backed venture.

Video: Things You Didn't Know About Tiger Woods

However, even those incredible sums are dwarfed by the amount Tiger Woods was apparently offered to join the Series – between $700m and $800m. Perhaps as amazing as those figures is the fact that the 15-time Major-winning legend turned the offer down! Needless to say, $800m can buy some impressive things. So let’s look at what Woods could have spent the money on.

Airbus A380 - $450m

Tiger could have travelled to future tournaments in his very own passenger airliner – the world’s largest, the double-decked Airbus A380. Of course, that would have left lots of room for 850 or so friends and family to join him. Not only that, but at “just” $450m, the 46-year-old would still have had plenty of change left over for a few other luxuries.

Villa Leopolda - $750m

This spectacular home has a size of 2,700 square metres, with 10 bedrooms set in an eight-acre park – plenty of space for a few practice swings. The home also boasts stunning architecture and some expensive artwork. It has featured in several films, too, including To Catch A Thief starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Of course, location is also important, and it doesn’t get much more exclusive or idyllic than its sumptuous setting overlooking the Mediterranean in the French Riviera’s Villefranche-sur-Mer.

Eclipse Superyacht - $472m

If Woods really wanted to get away from it all in style, he could have bought a superyacht with his LIV Golf riches. The most expensive to date is Eclipse, purchased by Roman Abramovich for reportedly $472m in 2010. The 162.5 metre (533 ft 2 in) vessel boasts two helicopter pads, two swimming pools, 24 guest cabins and even a disco hall among its many luxuries. With the change from the purchase Woods would even have enough left over for...

Private Island - $160m

Woods’ immense fame means there won’t be many places he can travel without being quickly recognised. A private island would have been the perfect way to spend some of his LIV Golf Invitational Series cash. In fact, he could have had several, with a current asking price of “just” $160m for Rangyai Island in Thailand. Closer to home, Pumpkin Key off the coast of Wood’s Florida home could have been his for a mere $95m.

McLaren F1 Team - $620m

In 2020, Woods revealed to Golf Digest that he once had a huge passion for F1, particularly when Michael Schumacher was in his prime for the dominant Ferrari in the 1990s. Alas, the Italian team would have been a long way out of reach of Woods’ budget, at $1.35bn, but if reported estimated values are correct, he could have still stumped up the money for the third most expensive team, McLaren, with plenty of cash to spare.

Newcastle United Football Club - $305m

Woods may have rejected the offer from LIV Golf to spearhead its inaugural season, but had he taken it, he’d have had more than enough to buy another asset of the Public Investment Fund that backs it. The Saudis reportedly spent $305m purchasing Newcastle United football club last year. Woods would have struggled elsewhere, though – Chelsea FC was sold for $3.2bn earlier this year, while the most expensive sports club of all, NFL team Dallas Cowboys, is thought to be worth around $7.6bn. The NFL team Woods supports, Las Vegas Raiders, would also have been well beyond his budget, at $6.5bn.

Salvator Mundi – $450m

The Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece was sold at auction to Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017 for just over $450m. Some experts have expressed doubts as to its authenticity. If Woods was comfortable he had a Da Vinci original, though, he would have no doubt given it pride of place in his Florida home.

34,000 Bitcoins - $800m

In the current inflationary environment, $800m would soon begin losing some of its value sat in Woods’ bank account. If that became a worry, he could buy around 34,000 of the world’s most famous cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is known for its volatility, of course, so there’s no guarantee it would hold its value either, but at less than half the cost of last year’s all-time high, it may have been a good time to buy. With a finite supply of 21 million, Woods would have had around 1/617 of the total number that will ever exist.