How many golf stars made the top 100 highest paid athletes list: Tiger Woods is outside the top 40

Golfers in the 2025 highest-paid athletes list

According to Sportico, the six golfers combined for over $430 million in earnings this year. The list features three players from LIV Golf and three from the PGA Tour, showing how both sides are now producing record paydays at the top of the game.

Here’s the full list of golfers who made Sportico’s 2025 rankings:

Jon Rahm leads all golfers on the list, ranking tenth overall with $100.7 million in total income. His 2023 LIV Golf contract remains one of the largest deals in professional sport.

Just behind him, Rory McIlroy sits 14th with $91.2 million, boosted by his career Grand Slam, while Scottie Scheffler’s $82.9 million puts him 16th after another dominant PGA season.

LIV’s influence is still clear further down the list. Bryson DeChambeau earned $62.7 million to rank 23rd, while Joaquin Niemann placed 63rd with $47.2 million – both benefitting from guaranteed contracts and growing sponsorship deals.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods fell to 41st with $55 million, most of it coming from endorsements, his Sun Day Red brand, and the TGL virtual golf league.

Golf’s new financial era

The 2025 rankings highlight how golf has become one of the world’s top-earning sports, far more than it had ever been in the past.

The split between PGA and LIV golfers shows two different models – traditional prize money and endorsements versus guaranteed contracts and team equity – both pushing earnings higher than ever.

Tiger Woods’ drop outside the top 40 marks a generational shift. The new names at the top reflect a sport that now rivals football, basketball, and Formula One in terms of income potential.

With LIV’s guaranteed deals and the PGA’s rising payouts, golf’s financial growth shows no sign of slowing down.