To no one’s surprise, Jordan Spieth was golf’s top earner in 2015.
Not hard to grasp when you take into consideration the $23 million in tour earnings — biggest year ever on the PGA Tour.
When you add another $30 million, the $53 million puts him atop the Golf Digest list of the 50 highest earners in golf.
But marketability is measured in off-course earnings and Jordy’s $30 million still puts him behind Phil Mickelson ($50 million), Tiger Woods ($48 million) and yes, Arnold Palmer at $40 million.
When you take into consideration that Spieth has hit the $30 million endorsement mark at age 22, it’s pretty impressive. Even more impressive is Arnie raking in $40 million at age 86. Palmer is the brand that just keeps on giving.
You might ask where we find Jack Nicklaus? Jack’s in a $22 million.
Sure, some headlines will make a big thing of Spieth surplanting Tiger Woods as golf’s top money-machine but Woods still matters, but not as much as he used to. At his zenith, Tiger was raking in $100 million in endorsements in 2008 and 2009. But his skills have diminished and so has that off-course income. Long way from $100 million-plus to a paltry $48 million.
Still, by 2014, Woods had pushed past the $1 billion mark in earnings.
Which brings us back to the current list.
Mickelson’s ahead of Woods at $50 million off the course but you wonder what he brings in or loses with his gambling hobby, something the tour certainly doesn’t want anyone discussing.
When you peruse the list, you will see the huge discrepancy between the men and women.
Stacy Lewis is the ladies’ top earner at $5.89 million. World’s No. 1 Lydia Ko brought in $5.3 million.
Nick Faldo is enjoying life as an announcer. With virtually nothing in on-course income these days, Sir Nick is still bringing in $7.5 million a year.
Greg Norman hauls in $12 million.
You ask about the other young guys besides Spieth?
Rory McIlroy’s Nike deal helped push him to $46.9 million a year. Huge. Jason Day is at $19.4 and Rickie Fowler’s teeny-bopper appeal helps him pull in $17.2 million.
It’s good to be Rickie.
