If you have young children you may be dreaming of what they could become when they grow up. Perhaps they will be Nobel winning scientists, maybe they will be excellent writers or teachers, or maybe they will be sports stars. While all pursuits are noble, being a sports star may mean fame and a lot of money which would be pretty convenient as you are approaching retirement. While you may be tempted to get your child interested in tennis, or football, there is one sport that has few risks of injury and pays a pretty penny. Golf is one of the most lucrative sports of all and if you are going to force, I mean, introduce your child to any sport, golf would be a great choice. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest earners in the golfing world.
Tiger Woods
There is no point in talking about money and golf without mentioning the biggest name in the sport, Tiger Woods. Tiger woods has a net worth of $800 million and it grows by around $50 million every year. As he is only 44 years old he still has plenty of years left in his golf career and will be making money long after he retires. This means that before he dies he could be the first golfer to reach a net worth of $1 billion. The star has won sportsman of the year twice, won golfer of the year nine times, and holds the record for the longest time spent at the number 1 ranking in the world.
There are stories that suggest that Tiger started playing golf at just six months old and show that there is no such thing as too young to learn. Tiger would watch his father hitting golf balls and would try to imitate his swing from a young age. Was this the key to his success?
Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson is another big name in the golfing world. The man is likely unlucky to have played during the same era as Tiger Woods as he no doubt would have had a lot more success without him. Now aged 50 years old he still has some time left in his career but is starting to wind down a little. Phil is worth a respectable $400 million and shows that even if your child can’t be the best in the world there is still a nice amount of money to be earned.
Arnold Palmer
While the world of golf is synonymous with the name Tiger Woods today, before he came along there was only one name written high in the records. That was Arnold Palmer. Arnold Palmer had a net worth slightly higher than Tiger at nearly $700 million when he was alive although he has now been surpassed. He passed away in 2016 after a long career in the golfing world. He won the PGA tour on 62 occasions (slightly behind Tiger at 71) and is regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time.
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy is a golfer from Northern Ireland who is considered young in the sport. He is only 31 years old and so has a long career ahead of him. With a net worth of $130 million, he is well on his way to chasing the leading pack before he retires. He did spend some time as the number one ranked golfer in the world during 2012 but has since dropped down to fourth. If he can work on his game and return to the top he could feature highly on the list in the future.
