Woods "Annual Income 77.1 Billion Won"... Ranked 8th Among World Athletes

US Economic Magazine Forbes Ranking: Tennis Player Federer 1st, Soccer Player Ronaldo 2nd, Messi 3rd

Tiger Woods has earned 77.1 billion won in the past year.

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] The 'returning golf emperor' Tiger Woods (USA) has earned $62.3 million (77.1 billion KRW) in the past year.

On the 30th (Korean time), the American business magazine Forbes announced the 'Top 100 Highest-Paid Athletes in the World 2020.' Woods ranked 8th, demonstrating extraordinary 'money power.' Since the survey began in 1990, he has topped the list 12 times, with total earnings approaching $2 billion (2.47 trillion KRW). This means he has earned over $100 million annually. He is the world's second richest sports tycoon after basketball legend Michael Jordan (USA, $2.1 billion).

Woods is famous as the 'Midas touch' of the golf world. His astronomical contract with Nike was the starting point. Upon turning professional in 1996, he secured $40 million over five years, followed by $100 million over five years in 2001, and $200 million over five years in 2006, hitting a 'sponsor jackpot.' Besides prize money from professional golf tours, he generates diverse income from playoff (PO) bonuses, various tournament appearance fees, course design fees, advertising fees, licensing fees, and book publishing royalties.

This time, 'tennis emperor' Roger Federer (Switzerland) topped the list at number 1 ($106.3 million), the first tennis player to do so. Although his prize money was only $6.3 million, his various endorsement deals exceeded $100 million. Soccer players dominated the top ranks with Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) 2nd ($105 million), Lionel Messi (Argentina) 3rd ($104 million), Neymar (Brazil) 4th ($95.5 million), and NBA star LeBron James (USA) 5th ($88.2 million).

The total earnings of the 100 athletes amounted to $3.6 billion (4.46 trillion KRW), a 9% decrease compared to last year. This was due to the global sports shutdown around March caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. By sport, there were 35 NBA players, 31 NFL players, 14 soccer players, and 6 tennis players. Female tennis player Naomi Osaka (Japan) ranked 29th ($37.4 million), the highest among female and Asian nationality athletes.