Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy And Tiger Woods Among Five Golfers To Feature On Forbes' Top 50 Highest-Paid Athletes

The latest World's Highest Paid Athletes list from Forbes is out, and it contains five golfers among the 50 on it, including Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods

The publication tracked income from May 1^st 2024 to May 1^st 2025, having spoken to industry insiders to determine earnings, with considerations including the PGA Tour Player Impact Program, TGL payments and annual payments for LIV Golfers.

Forbes also took into account earnings away from the course, including sponsorship deals, appearance fees and memorabilia and licensing income, as well as any cash returns from business interests.

Despite increased purses on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf still appears to have the most financial clout, with Jon Rahm the first of the five on the list in 12^th and overall earnings of $100m, $90m of which came through on-course payouts.

Rahm, who joined LIV Golf in December 2023, is estimated to have been paid over $500m to sign up to the circuit, and Forbes’ methodology works on the assumption that top-tier LIV Golfers see half of the money upfront with equal annual instalments across four-year contracts.

That, plus his success on the course during the period, which included two wins bagging $4m each, and a bonus $18m for claiming the Individual Championship, ensure he is the highest-paid golfer on the list, albeit with a comparatively small payment of $10m coming away from the course.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, PGA Tour star and World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is second on the list, coming in at 14^th with earnings of $92.5m, comprising $62.5m from his performances and $30m away from the course.

The period saw Scheffler hit the best form of his career, including wins in signature events the Memorial Tournament and Travelers Championship, which earned him $7.6m combined, while he also won the FedEx Cup, handing him a bonus of $25m.

Next on the list is Rory McIlroy in 17^th with $87.9m in earnings, of which $42.9m came on the course thanks to a hugely successful 12-month period.

The period included $3.6m for winning the Wells Fargo Championship, while he also claimed victory at the DP World Tour Championship, banking him over $3m. That also brough a further $2m for winning the season-long Race to Dubai.

Another $3.6m payday came in February for his Pebble Beach Pro-Am victory, while he won $4.5m at The Players Championship. In April, he hit the pinnacle of his career with victory at The Masters to complete the career Grand Slam. That win gave him another $4.2m.

Aside from those high points, McIlroy has multiple business interests and is a co-founder of TGL, which will have likely boosted his bank balance further. McIlroy’s off-course earnings are estimated at $45m for the period.

Next, in 45^th, is a star who barely played during the period, Tiger Woods, with earnings of $55.4m, the vast majority of which came in off-course earnings, likely including TGL income, which he co-founded with McIlroy.

Xander Schauffele sneaks in at 49^th on the list with overall earnings of $53.6m, of which $33.6m came through his success on the course. That included Major titles at the PGA Championship and The Open, bringing a combined $6.4m. Schauffele’s earnings away from the course were estimated to be $20m.

While all of the five golfers earned incredible sums of money during the period, they fell well short of the sportsperson who was the highest paid of the lot, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, with total earnings of $275m.