How Tiger Woods made $60 million without hitting a single golf shot

Tiger Woods made $2.3 million over the past year in golf. 

He made $60 million in endorsements. Or about 96 percent of his overall $62.3 million in earnings.

Essentially, his main job was a side job. 

It pays to be Tiger Woods. 

From June 1, 2019, to June 1, 2020, Woods was the eighth highest-paid athlete in the world, according to the annual Forbes Magazine list, released Friday. Tennis player Roger Federer topped the list, a spot Woods held previously in his career a record 12 times, and three other golfers – Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth – were in the Forbes top 100. 

Woods’ endorsement total was tied with basketball player LeBron James for the second-highest figure on the list, behind Federer’s $100 million. Woods’ salary/winnings total was 96th on the list, which was still higher than Spieth’s ($1.6 million; 98th) and Mickelson’s ($800,000; 100th).  

Woods’ endorsements were spread across eight companies – Bridgestone, Discovery Communications, Inc., Hero Motocorp, Monster Energy, Nike, Rolex, TaylorMade and Upper Deck. Some companies are tied directly to his play – Bridgestone supplies his golf ball; Nike supplies his golf clothing; and TaylorMade supplies his golf clubs. Some companies are tied indirectly to his play – Discovery Communications, Inc. is the media company that owns GolfTV and Golf Digest; Hero Motocorp is a motorcycle and scooter manufacturer; Monster Energy produces an energy drink; Rolex makes watches; and Upper Deck is a sports card and memorabilia maker.  

The $60 million in endorsements is $45 million less than Woods’ highest total. According to Forbes, Woods made $105 million in endorsements in 2009, with deals with Accenture, AT&T, EA Sports, Gatorade, Gillette, Golf Digest, NetJets, Nike, Tag Heuer, TLC Laser Eye and Upper Deck. 

Various off-the-course troubles dropped that figure to $37 million in 2017, according to Forbes. 

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