Spieth supplants Woods as golf’s top earner at $54 million
Tiger Woods is no longer golf’s biggest money maker. That title now belongs to Jordan Spieth.
The two-time 2015 major winner tops Golf Digest’s annual list of the game’s highest earners, pulling in an estimated $54 million in 2015. Spieth was ranked 16th in last year’s list. However, five PGA Tour wins, including the Masters and U.S. Open, earned him $22 million on the course. He pulled in an estimated additional $30 million in endorsement and other off-course earnings.
Woods’ 13-year reign atop the list comes to an end after a season mired in poor play and ending with a pair of back surgeries. Woods had been golf’s top earner since the Golf Digest list debuted in 2004. He’s ranked third this year, pulling in an estimated $49 million, including $48.5 million away from competition, including his burgeoning golf-course design business.
Phil Mickelson, despite a poor 2015, finished second on the list thanks to his estimated $50 million in off-course earnings, some 20 times the $2.5 million he earned inside the ropes.
Rory McIlroy was fourth with $46 million, followed by Arnold Palmer ($40 million), Jack Nicklaus ($22 million) and 2015 PGA champion Jason Day at seventh with $19.4 million.
Lydia Ko is the highest-ranked woman on the list at 47th, earning an estimated $5.3 million.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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