20 Wealthiest Golfers Of All Time – A Look At The Best Golfers Ever

20 Wealthiest Golfers Of All Time – A Look At The Best Golfers Ever

Golfers don’t play golf for the money. We all know that the reason we play is for the love of the game. Even the wealthiest golfers in the game are going to tell you that they play for the love of the sport and not because they want to earn money.

If you think that Dustin Johnson’s most recent Masters win had anything to do with the money, you are mistaken. Golfers play for the love of the game.

As amateur golfers, it is still interesting to know who the wealthiest golfers of all time are. Having some understanding of who has made it to the top as far as wealth is concerned can be quite interesting.

Where Do Golfers Earnings Come From

There are many ways to make a lot of money in golf. Sometimes you win several big tournaments; other times, you place in dozens of tournaments throughout the year. Your earnings may come from major championships or smaller-scale events.

Golfers also make incredible amounts of money when they sign deals with companies for sponsorships and other deals. Most golfers will tell you that these deals far outweigh the money they make while on the golf course.

Who Is The Wealthiest Golfer of All Time

It may come as no surprise that Tiger Woods is the wealthiest golfer of all time. He has exceeded $800 million dollars since the beginning of his career in golf. Certainly, this is an exceptional accomplishment and one that should be highly regarded.

However, the names on the top twenty wealthiest golfers of all time are going to surprise you a bit. There are names from the past that had to work just a bit harder to collect the money they did in their lifetime. Let’s take a look at the 20 wealthiest golfers of all time.

Player Name	Net Worth
20 – Padraig Harrington	$40 Million
19 – Justin Rose	$40 Million
18 – Lee Trevino	$40 Million
17 – Davis Love III	$50 Million
16 – Adam Scott	$50 Million
15 – Nick Faldo	$60 Million
14 – Jim Fuyrk	$60 Million
13 – Sergio Garcia	$70 Million
12 – Vijay Singh	$75 Million
11 – Ernie Els	$85 Million
10 – Dustin Johnson	$80 Million
9 – Jordan Spieth	$100 Million
8 – Fred Couples	$120 Million
7 – Rory McIlroy	$150 Million
6 – Gary Player	$250 Million
5 – Jack Nicklaus	$320 Million
4 – Phil Mickelson	$400 Million
3 – Greg Norman	$400 Million
2 – Arnold Palmer	$700 Million
1 – Tiger Woods	$800 Million

20. Padraig Harrington – Net Worth: $40 Million

• Born In: Dublin, Ireland

• Resides In: Dublin Ireland

• Family: Wife- Caroline, Children- Patrick, Ciaran

• Turned Pro: 1995

• Career Earnings: $25 Million

Padraig Harrington BIO

Padraig Harrington is a golf legend in Ireland. He came on the golf scene in 1995 and has since won 6 PGA Tournaments. He has won the Open Championship two times, which certainly was a delight for his country to watch.

Interesting fact

In addition to winning quite a bit on the PGA Tour, Harrington has won 20 times on worldwide tours. Harrington has not done all that much on tour in the last few years as he has struggled with some health issues.

Still playing?

He was able to enter a few tournaments but did not play all that well. When Harrington is not on the course, he is spending time with his family and staying involved with the charities that he supports.

Net worth: $40 Million

19. Justin Rose – Net Worth: $40 Million

• Born In: Johannesburg, South Africa

• Residence: New Providence, Bahamas

• Wife: Kate, Leo Kenny, Charlotte

• Turned Pro: 1998

• Career Earnings: $55 Million

Justin Rose BIO

Justin Rose has had quite a career. He started playing golf at the age of 11 and has only made some incredible strides in the game of golf. In fact, he is the first player to have won the golf Olympics in recent years.

He took the title in 2016, and it was a rare occurrence for the game of golf.

Still playing?

Justin continues to compete and play quite well, and his net worth is continually on the rise. He is very involved in charity work, and every time there is a major championship, you will likely see his name pop up.

Net worth: $40 Million

18. Lee Trevino – Net Worth: $40 Million

• Born: Dallas, Texas

• Residence: Dallas, Texas

• Family: Wife, Claudia; Richard (11/21/62), Tony Lee (4/13/69), Troy (9/13/73), Olivia Leigh (2/3/89), Daniel Lee (10/20/92)

• Turned Pro: 1960

• Career Earnings: $13,348,063

Lee Trevino BIO

It’s impressive to see the classic golfers make it to the top of the wealthiest golfers list. These players had to compete for much lower earnings. From week to week, they had to play quite well in order to make a living. Although this factor hasn’t changed much, golfers can get richer much quicker than in the past.

Interesting Fact

Lee Trevino has always been entertaining and fun to watch. He has a ton of character, and it is easily seen when he plays. With 29 victories on the PGA Tour and another 29 on the Champions Tour, Trevino knows a thing or two about winning.

Net worth: $40 Million

17. Davis Love III – Net Worth $50 Million

• Born: Charlotte, North Carolina

• Residence: St. Simons Island, Georgia

• Family: Wife, Robin; Alexia, Davis IV

• Turned Pro: 1985

• Career Earnings: $45,514,023

Davis Love III BIO

Davis Love III has a long and successful career in the game of golf. He was born into a golf family, and many will argue this gave him a bit of a step up. He still worked very hard for everything he has done in the game. After a successful career on the PGA Tour, he moved to the Champions tour to win even more events.

Still Playing?

Davis Love II has a major championship under his belt and countless other victories. These days he can found fishing somewhere on St. Simons Island.

Net worth: $50 Million

16. Adam Scott – Net Worth: $50 Million

• Born: Adelaide, Australia

• Residence: Crans Sur Sierre, Switzerland

• Family: Wife, Marie; Bo Vera, Byron

• Turned Pro: 2000

• Career Earnings: $55,596,125

Adam Scott BIO

Adam Scott spent several years at the top of the charts. He was continually competing against Tiger for a share of the win of many tournaments. Scott has done quite well, considering he has been on the tour for only 20 years.

Interesting fact

Adam Scott has collected over 40 victories on the PGA Tour and internationally. He is a serious competitor and continues to work on his game while saving time for his family. Adam does have a Masters’s under his belt and that’s something nobody could ever take from him!

Net worth: $50 Million

15. Nick Faldo – Net Worth: $60 Million

• Born: Welwyn Garden City, England

• Residence: Orlando, Florida

• Family: Natalie (9/18/86), Matthew (3/17/89), Georgia (3/20/93), Emma (7/28/03)

• Turned Pro: 1976

• Career Earnings: $6,167,648

Nick Faldo BIO

As you can see, Nick Faldo has made most of his money from his career in golf and not necessarily his career earnings on the PGA Tour. Faldo has long been involved in almost every aspect of the game of golf. He has nine wins under his belt on the PGA Tour.

Still playing?

Faldo is one of the only players to have won three Masters championships. The Masters is an event that golfers dream of winning one day. To earn three green jackets is remarkable. Today you can find Faldo as a commentator.

Net worth: $60 Million

14. Jim Fuyrk – Net Worth: $60 Million

• Born: West Chester, Pennsylvania

• Resides: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

• Family: Wife, Tabitha; Caleigh Lynn; Tanner James

• Turned Pro: 1992

• Career Earnings: $62,308,534

Jim Fuyrk BIO

Jim Fuyrk is known more for his swing than his performance on the PGA Tour. There is not a golfer out there with a more unique swing than Fuyrk. As much as you want to make fun of the swing, Fuyrk puts on the ball, it works.

Interesting fact

The swing has earned him 17 PGA Tour victories, including a US Open. Most golfers would agree they would gladly swing like Fuyrk to end up with over $60 million in career earnings.

Net worth: $60 Million

13. Sergio Garcia – Net Worth: $70 Million

• Birthplace: Castellon, Spain

• Residence: Crans-Montana, Switzerland

• Family: Wife, Angela; Azalea Adele, Enzo Akins

• Turned Professional: 1999

• Career Earnings: $51,840,118

Sergio Garcia BIO

Sergio Garcia has been known for quite a few different things during his time spent on the PGA Tour. For a while, he was gripping and regripping the club so many times we could barely stand to watch.

Moving along from there, he had trouble making three-foot putts for many years.

Interesting fact

Sergio often competed against Tiger, and he always gave him a good run for his money. Garcia has 11 PGA Tour victories, including one that allows him to wear a green jacket.

Net worth: $70 Million

12. Vijay Singh – Net Worth: $70 Million

• Birthplace: Lautoka, Fiji

• Residence: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

• Family: Son-Qass Seth

• Turned Pro: 1982

• Career Earnings: $75,760,544

Vijay Singh BIO

Vijay Singh has 34 PGA Tour victories. When you contemplate what it takes to win 34 times, it is quite impressive what he has done in his career. Vijay is a golfer that likes to keep to himself, he practices hard, and he gets the job done.

Still Playing?

Vijay is known for being one of the harder workers in the game. He went right from the PGA Tour to the Champions Tour. Since moving to the Champions Tour, he has added three more wins to his resume.

Net worth: $70 Million

11. Dustin Johnson – Net Worth: $80 Million

• Birthplace: Columbia, South Carolina

• Residence: Jupiter, Florida

• Family: Paulina; Tatum, River Jones

• Turned Pro: 2007

• Career Earnings: $70,710,215

Dustin Johnson BIO

Dustin Johnson is going to quickly work his way up this list. With a Masters under his belt and a smooth swing that has almost every golfer in the country jealous, we have not heard the end of Johnson.

Still playing?

Dustin Johnson is one of the leading players on tour, and he is generally enjoyable to watch. He competes at a high-level week in and week out and just keeps collecting paychecks. When he’s not playing golf, he’s spending time with his family, who are heavily involved in his golf career.

Net worth: $80 Million

10. Ernie Els – Net Worth: $85 Million

• Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa

• Residence: West Palm Beach, Florida

• Family: Wife, Liezl; Samantha, Ben

• Turned Pro: 1989

• Career Earnings: $50,812,381

Ernie Els BIO

If you could have the swing tempo that Ernie Els has, chances you would win a few more skins at your next Saturday morning match. Els swing is one of the prettiest on Tour. With 19 wins on the PGA Tour and 47 International wins, he has certainly proven that he knows how to get the job done.

Still playing?

Els is now eligible to compete on the Champions Tour. He is very heavily involved in fundraising and charity efforts for Autistic children. Els’ son Ben is autistic, and they created a school in South Florida for children on the spectrum. Ernie Els is not only a great player but a great person as well.

Net worth: $85 Million

9. Jordan Spieth – Net Worth: $100 Million

• Birthplace: Dallas, Texas

• Residence: Dallas, Texas

• Family: Wife, Annie

• Turned Pro: 2012

• Career Earnings: $41,431,672

Jordan Spieth BIO

Jordan Spieth has a boy next store look to him and has quickly become a fan favorite. Jordan Spieth is young but has quite a bit of talent for a golfer at such a young age. He has learned how to get endorsement deals and build up a very impressive career for himself.

Interesting Fact

Jordan has 11 wins on the PGA Tour, including a Masters and a US Open in the same year. In the last few years, he has struggled with his game. He admits he is working on getting things in order so he can get four good rounds in a row again. We are certainly all ready to see Jordan start competing again. He is one of the most fun players to watch.

Net worth: $100 Million

8. Fred Couples – Net Worth $120 Million

• Birthplace: Seattle, Washington

• Residence: Newport Beach, California

• Turned Pro: 1980

• Career Earnings: $34,381,345

Fred Couples BIO

Fred Couples is better known as Freddy. Freddy is a very fun golfer to watch and has made an impressive name for himself on the PGA Tour and internationally as well. Fred Couples has 15 PGA Tour Victories and a green jacket hanging in his closet.

Interesting fact

After his time was done on the PGA Tour, Fred Couples moved to the Champions tour to see what he could do there. He has since one 13 times on the champions tour. Sometimes when players move to the Champions tour, we don’t get to keep as close of an eye on them.

Still playing?

This is where many golfers double the number of wins that they have in their career. It will always be a pleasure to watch Freddy play. When he comes back and plays in the Masters each year, we can’t help but hope he makes a run for it.

Net worth: $120 Million

7. Rory McIlroy – Net Worth: $150 Million

• Birthplace: Holywood, Northern Ireland

• Residence: Holywood, Northern Ireland

• Family: Wife, Erica; Poppy Kennedy

• Turned Pro: 2007

• Career Earnings: $54,055,225

Rory McIlroy BIO

Rory McIlroy is a name that you will see in almost every tournament. He works his way to the top of the leaderboard regardless of what is happening that week. Rory can hit the ball a long way, but he is also a shotmaker. He has several major championships under his belt and is undoubtedly a fan favorite in Ireland.

This past year Rory welcomed his first child into the world. He took some time to focus on his family, and we suspect he will be back out again next year hunting for more titles. Rory is part of a younger group of golfers like Johnson, Spieth, and Fowler that have brought a younger crowd back into the game.

Still playing?

When Tiger took some time off from golf, the fans needed some entertainment and some competition. Rory was one that always brought that each time he went out to play golf. He has done a tremendous job of playing and creating some serious wealth for himself as well.

Net worth: $150 Million

6. Gary Player – Net Worth: $200 Million

• Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa

• Residence: Jupiter Island, Florida; Colesberg, South Africa

• Family: Wife, Vivienne Verwey; Jennifer, Marc, Wayne, Michele, Theresa, Amanda; 21 grandchildren

• Turned Pro: 1953

• Career Earnings: $7,883,511

Gary Player BIO

Gary Player is one of the legends. At 85 years old, it is a treat to watch him hit that first shot at the Master tournament each year. He has always been a classy and stand up competitor, and he has 24 PGA Tour Victories to his name.

Still playing?

Gary Player has also done quite a bit of work to build up his wealth. As you can see, his career earnings are quite low, considering the number of victories. Player was dominating at a time when tournament purses were much smaller.

Net worth: $250 Million

5. Jack Nicklaus

• Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio

• Residence: North Palm Beach, Florida

• Family: Wife, Barbara Bash; Jack II (9/23/61), Steven (4/11/63), Nancy Jean (5/5/65), Gary (1/15/69), Michael (7/24/73); 22 grandchildren

• Career Earnings: $9,108,351

Jack Nicklaus BIO – Net Worth: $320 Million

When Jack Nicklaus is referred to as the greatest golfer of all time, most people will not argue. With 73 PGA Tour Victories and plenty of Major, Championships mixed in, what Jack Nicklaus did with golf is extremely impressive.

Still playing?

Jack has always been heavily involved with charities and growing the game of golf. It’s hard to imagine that 73 wins on tour only collected $9 million in earnings. Think about how high that number will be if Dustin Johnson collects 73 wins someday.

Net worth: $320 Million

4. Phil Mickelson – Net Worth: $400 Million

• Birthplace: San Diego, California

• Residence: Rancho Santa Fe, California

• Family: Wife, Amy; Amanda Brynn, Sophia Isabel, Evan Samuel

• Turned Pro: 1992

• Career Earnings: $92,919,822

Phil Mickelson BIO

Phil Mickelson is a lefty that people love to watch. He has done an amazing job on Tour and always handled himself with a sense of calm and humor at the same time. Phil was known for coming in second place many times before he finally pulled off a Major championship.

Still playing?

Mickelson struggles with his putting from time to time. His game gets a little erratic, but that is what makes watching Phil even more fun. With 44 PGA Tour victories, he certainly figured out ways to win and create wealth for himself.

Net worth: $400 Million

3. Greg Norman – Net Worth: $400 Million

• Birthplace: Mt. Isa, Queensland, Australia

• Residence: Hobe Sound, Florida

• Family: Wife, Kirsten; Morgan-Leigh (10/5/82), Gregory (9/19/85)

• Turned Pro: 1976

• Career Earnings: $15,182,769

Greg Norman BIO

At one point in his career, Greg Norman dominated the PGA Tour. He has a total of 20 PGA Tour Victories, but he has 57 international wins. Norman is a fun and exciting player to watch, and people enjoyed watching his career grow and expand.

Still playing?

Norman built a large and successful golf empire for himself. For a boy that learned to play at 16 and picked up the game very quickly, his story and his life are quite impressive.

Net worth: $400 Million

2. Arnold Palmer – Net Worth: $700 Million

• Birthplace: Latrobe, Pennsylvania

• Residence: Orlando, Florida; Latrobe, Pennsylvania

• Family: Wife, Kathleen (Kit); Peggy (2/26/56), Amy (8/4/58); six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren

• Turned Pro: 1954

• Career Earnings: $3,670,463

Arnold Palmer BIO

When Arnold Palmer passed away in 2016, every golfer in the world felt the pain. There is no question that golf would not be what it is today without Palmer. Arnold Palmer grew up in a middle-class family; his early lessons were from his Dad, who told him to hit the ball hard.

With 62 PGA Tour Victories, he certainly didn’t come in too far behind Nicklaus on his total number of wins. Most importantly, Arnold was a great guy. He cared about family, children, and his charities. He made an impact in the golf world and beyond.

Net worth: $700 Million

1. Tiger Woods – Net Worth: $800 Million

• Birthplace: Cypress, California

• Residence: Jupiter, Florida

• Family: Sam Alexis, Charlie Axel

• Turned Pro: 1996

• Career Earnings: $120,851,706

Tiger Woods BIO

If you are surprised that Tiger Woods is at the top of this list, then you probably don’t spend much time following the golf world. Tiger Woods has 81 PGA Tour Victories and has changed the world of golf.

Still playing?

He truly showed the golf world that one player could dominate the field. There is no question that Tiger Woods has been an enormous asset to the game of golf. He turned people that were not golf fans into golfers. We can only hope that he continues to play and compete, and we can watch him collect even more wins.

Net worth: $800 Million