Inside Tiger Woods' $1bn+ Career

Tiger Woods, the 46-year-old has maintained his supremacy as one of the top-earning athletes in the world, raking in over $1.7 billion in salary, endorsements, and other income over the course of his 27-year career. Hi’s won his first Masters Championship in 1997 pocketed  $486k.

His net worth is estimated at $1 billion, based on his lifetime earnings, joining Michael Jordan and LeBron James in the elite cadre of billionaire athletes. Woods has won more than 15 Major tournaments and 81 PGA Tours as well as boasting the lowest scoring average of any professional golfer of all time. 

Woods’ impact on golf’s TV ratings, and purse sizes, cannot be overstated. In the early 2000s, according to former CBS president Neal Pilson, TV audiences would drop 30% to 50% when Woods was not in contention at a tournament. This so-called “Tiger Effect” contributed to PGA Tour winnings nearly tripling between 1996 and 2008, a stretch in which Woods won 14 major championships. Woods has had an extremely lucrative career over the past 26 years, earning millions from endorsements and tournament wins to other side projects that have put him among the highest-earning athletes in the world. In fact, Woods was the highest-paid athlete in the world, per Forbes, for a whopping decade straight (2002 to 2012)

It's estimated that more than 90% of Woods' total earnings come from endorsement and sponsorship deals with major athletic brands, notably TaylorMade, Nike (reportedly worth $200 million), Gatorade (which was worth $100 million over a five-year period), Gillette, which reportedly earned him $20 million per year and Rolex. Woods' relationship with Rolex began in 1997 when he signed a 5-year, $7 million endorsement deal. The company was one of the first major partners to rejoin his portfolio in 2011 after his infidelity scandal, in which he had to pay out  ​​$100-110 million from his divorce settlement with ex-wife Elin. Over the last 12 months, despite hardly ever teeing up the ball while recovering from a serious car accident, Woods collected $68 million in off-course income.

Using his status and earnings Woods has expanded his portfolio into an array of business ventures, including TGR Design (a golf design business), TGR Live (a live events production company), and The Woods (a restaurant). 

Through TGR Ventures, Woods has taken stakes in Full Swing, a golf technology training tool; Heard, a hospitality software startup; and PopStroke, a luxury mini-golf experience with locations in Florida and plans to open six more locations across the US. 

Woods is also a lead investor in a Special Purpose Acquisition Company, which aims to raise $150m from an IPO. The SPAC plans to seek a merger target in the sports/health technology sectors with an enterprise value of $600 million to $1 billion. His SPAC follows those of other sports figures including former New York Yankees all-star Alex Rodriguez and San Francisco 49ers quarterback-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick. He is also an investor alongside British billionaire Joe Lewis’ Tavistock Group, golfing rival Ernie Els, and Justin Timberlake in NEXUS Luxury Collection, a group of clubs and resorts.

Woods could have added another $1 billion to his net worth but he turned down the billion-dollar offer from LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed league. Phil Mickelson, one of Woods' rivals has reportedly accepted an offer of $200 million to play in that league. 

Woods has been through a lot in the last few years and seeing him fight through the pain after the near-fatal car crash has kindled the love for him from fans, and brands, supporting him in this new version of Woods - a resilient survivor! The wealth Woods has accumulated over the years means he doesn’t have to play golf ever again. Tiger has had an illustrious career which includes 82 PGA tour wins, the record for the most wins in history, tied with Sam Snead.  His major victories include the five Masters Tournaments, 4 PGA Championships, 3 U.S. Open Championships, and 3 British Open Championships. With his second Masters’ victory in 2001, Tiger became the first golfer ever to hold all four professional major championships at the same time. Tiger has won on and off the pitch and he used the same dedication, hardwork, and meticulous method in business as he has done in golf. Another black billionaire athlete - long may it continue 🏆