Tiger Woods is the newest member of the athletes’ billionaire club.
He joins a list of just three which includes Michael Jordan and LeBron James who have a net worth of at least $1 billion according to the business magazine Forbes.
The 15-times major winner, who returned to competition at the Masters in April 14 months after nearly losing his right leg in a car crash, has made over $1.7 billion in prize money, endorsements, and other ventures, according to Forbes.
The Hall of Famer is tied with Sam Snead for the most wins on the PGA Tour with 82.
But his winnings from golf account for less than 10% of his career earnings, with the bulk of his net worth linked to lucrative endorsements with brands like Nike and Rolex.
Tiger Woods achieved his billionaire status despite turning down an offer from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series.
Earlier this month, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman told the Washington Post that Woods had turned down an offer that was “mind-blowingly enormous” what many believe to be was in the high nine figures.
Six-time NBA champion Jordan was the first athlete to reach the milestone and was joined by four-time NBA champion LeBron James just last week after the magazine estimated the Los Angeles Lakers player’s worth at $1 billion.
With the money involved in sports growing day by day and with athletes becoming savvier, it would not be a surprise if this list grows significantly over the coming years.
