It’s a sport played by millions, but only a handful of golf enthusiasts become professional golfers that rake in millions of dollars every year. Golf dates back to the 17th century, but the place of origin is not well-known. However, Scotland claims to have invented the game. It does require skill when hitting the ball, and although it may seem like a simple task to outsiders, it definitely is not that simple.
Many professional golfers are extremely wealthy, and in this review, we look at the richest professional golfers of all time. This shall cover golfers from back in the day to the present where we all know that the richest of them all is Tiger Woods.
The masters of the game enter into competitions and become pro golfers in the league. When they play, they play for big bucks, and most of the competition leagues usually pay them more than $500,000 and of course, you get to walk away with a huge trophy. Here are some of the richest professional golfers of all time.
The Richest Professional Golfers Of All Time
Arnold Palmer – $675 million
Palmer was born in 1929, and is regarded as one of the greatest golfers to have ever lived. He was nicknamed “The King,” and not only did he play the game, but he also helped pioneer some of its most important milestones in the history of the PGA. He was the first-ever superstar on the television when golf first came to TV in the ’50s.
Paler won countless PGA tours and Championships. His career of more than 60 years was decorated with 62 PGA tour titles, seven major golf titles in six years, and in 1998 he was presented with the PGA tour Lifetime Achievement award. He died in September 2016 and left behind a net worth of $675 million.
Tiger Woods – $600 million
This is a name so synonymous with golf that if you do not know about him, you are probably living under a rock. He is one of the most famous and most popular golfers of all time. Woods has this natural ability when it comes to golf which he learned at a very young age. His father has been his greatest encourager and trainer.
At 20 years old, Tiger Woods was already a pro and has been the highest-paid athlete of all time. He has had some pretty impressive stats and won his first masters in 1997. He was then a dominant golf player from 1999 – 2004. He ranked number one for 281 weeks from 2005 – 2010. He has won numerous golfing records and awarded as the PGA player of the year 11 times. He is the second richest golfer.
Greg Norman – $300 million
Greg Norman is an Australian golfer who has always looked the part. He is very well recognized for his outback look. He was born in 1955 and in addition to playing golf professionally, he is also a philanthropist and an entrepreneur. He was ranked number 1 from 1980 – 1990. He has won 91 international tournaments, and this includes 20 PGA tour wins and two majors. He was inducted into the golf hall of fame in 2001, and people usually refer to him as “The Great White Shark,” or simply “The Shark.”
Jack Nicklaus – $280 million
Jack Nicklaus’s nickname is “The Golden Bear.” He is a US pro golfer and was born in 1940. Since the start of his career, he has been impressing golfers with his incredible talent. So far he has won 18 career championships. He has played a few PGA Tour events and finished with around 73 victories which make him the third all-time best player. He is behind Sam Snead who has 82 victories and Tiger Woods who has 79 victories.
Gary Player – $200 million
Gary Player is one of the most successful golf players, and he is also in the top five best players of all time. He was born in 1935 and retired from golfing leaving a great legacy behind. In total, he won 9 major championships professionally, and he also won 3 British Open Championships while on the European tour. In 1965, he was the US open winner at the age of 29.
He is the only non-American player to win all four majors and this included the Grand Slam in the last 60 years. He is accredited as having won 165 tournaments on six different continents and was also inducted into the World Golf Hall of fame in 1974.
The Richest Professional Golfers Of All Time Conclusion
From the achievements alone, these are certainly some of the best golf players in the world. Not only do they make the big bucks from golfing, but they also have numerous endorsement deals with multinational companies that help them pile up on the money. Although we are always on the lookout for new talent on the golf course, we know that the above five players will go down in history as some of the richest professional golfers to have lived.
