The 20 Richest Pro Golfers - 2017 Edition

Some very, very rich people spend a lot of time on the golf course but how good they are at the game is anybody’s guess. However, some very, very good golfers have become multimillionaires through the sport. Pro golfers not only make their money by winning tournaments but also through endorsement and sponsorship deals and business ventures. Here are the richest pro golfers of all time as of this year, according to Money Inc.

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20. David Toms

David Toms turned pro in 1989 and won the PGA Championship in 2001. The Louisiana native has 17 professional wins to his name, has a golf-course design business and is worth $35 million.

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19. Sergio García

Sergio García has been playing professionally since 1999 and has won 31 international tournaments in this time, including the 2017 Masters Tournament. The Spaniard’s endorsement deals include one with TaylorMade-Adidas Golf and he’s worth $40 million.

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18. Padraig Harrington

Padraig Harrington turned pro in 1995 and has 31 professional wins to his name, including the PGA Championship, which he won in 2008. He also represented his native Ireland at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Harrington is worth $40 million.

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17. Luke Donald

Since becoming a professional golfer in 2001, Luke Donald has racked up 17 professional wins and made history in 2011 when he was the first player to win the money lists on the PGA Tour and the European Tour in the same year. The Brit gets $1 million simply for wearing his Mizuno visor and is worth $40 million.

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16. Lee Westwood

Lee Westwood turned pro in 1993 and in 2010 he ended Tiger Woods’ long reign as number 1 golfer in the world. Even though he’s never won a major championship, the British golfer has 42 professional wins to his name and is worth $42 million.

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15. Lee Trevino

Lee Trevino started playing professionally in 1960 and has 92 professional wins to his name, including two US Open, two Open Championship and two PGA Championship titles. Super Mex, as the American legend is also known, has since retired and is worth $45 million. He's one athlete that certainly hasn't retired broke.

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14. Annika Sörenstam

Sweden’s Annika Sörenstam played professionally from 1992 to 2008. She won the LPGA Tour’s Player of the Year award a record six times, has 93 professional wins to her name, designs golf courses, owns a golfing academy and has a clothing line, limited-label wine and signature fragrance. She’s worth $47 million.

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13. Adam Scott

Adam Scott turned pro in 2000 and was ranked number 1 in the world in 2014. The Australian, who has 29 professional wins to his name, is worth $48 million.

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12. Jim Furyk

Jim Furyk has racked up 26 professional wins since turning pro in 1992. He won the US Open in 2003 but in 2016 he also broke the record for the lowest score in the history of the PGA Tour. Still, the American is worth $50 million.

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11. Nick Faldo

Nick Faldo has been playing professionally since 1976, although these days he spends more time covering the sport for television than actually playing. His 41 professional wins include three Open Championships and three Masters Tournament titles. The British golfer has numerous business ventures and is worth $60 million.

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10. Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy only turned pro in 2007 and already has 22 professional wins to his name, including a US Open, an Open Championship and two PGA Championship titles. In 2013, the Northern Irish golfer was rated as the world’s third most marketable athlete. He is worth $65 million.

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9. Vijay Singh

Vijay Singh has been playing professionally since 1982 and counts a Masters Tournament and two PGA Championship titles among his 61 professional wins. The Big Fijian is worth $75 million.

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8. Ernie Els

Ernie Els has been playing professionally since 1989 and his 71 professional wins include two US Open and two Open Championship titles. The former world number 1 also designs golf courses and has an acclaimed winery in his native South Africa. The Big Easy is worth $80 million.

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7. Fred Couples

Since turning pro in 1980, Fred Couples has won 62 professional titles, including the Masters Tournament. In 1992 he was the first American to become world number 1. He also designs golf courses and is worth $105 million.

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6. Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson has an Open Championship, a PGA Championship and three Masters Tournament titles among the 48 professional wins to his name. Lefty, as the American is also known, makes much of his money from endorsements and is worth $180 million.

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5. Gary Player

Gary Player turned pro in 1953 and over the next six decades he won 165 tournaments, among them nine major titles. He is one of only five golfers to have won golf’s Grand Slam. The South African has numerous business interests, breeds thoroughbred racehorses and is worth $200 million.

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4. Jack Nicklaus

Between 1961 and 2005, Jack Nicklaus scored 117 professional wins, among them a record 18 major titles. The Golden Bear is one of the five golfers who have won the sport’s Grand Slam. He designs golf courses, has written numerous golf-related books and an autobiography, has a computer game and is worth $280 million.

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3. Greg Norman

Greg Norman turned pro in 1976 and his 88 professional wins include two Open Championship titles. The Australian is the successful founder of a multinational corporation with stakes in, among others, golf-course design, wine, clothing, eyewear, real estate, beef products, wakeboarding complexes and a golf academy. He is worth $300 million.

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2. Tiger Woods

Since turning pro in 1996, Tiger Woods has won 106 professional titles, among them 14 major championships and golf’s Grand Slam. He was the world’s most marketable athlete for the first ten years of his career but his controversial life off course has cost him several lucrative endorsements. It's difficult to forget that he was involved in one of he most scandalous celebrity love triangles of all time. He is worth $600 million, making him the richest living golfer.

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1. Arnold Palmer

The late Arnold Palmer was worth $675 million. He played professionally from 1954 to 2006 and was one of golf’s first superstars. Among his 95 professional wins are seven major championship titles. Palmer designed more than 300 golf courses, co-founded The Golf Channel and even had a drink named after him.

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