This year’s Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes has seen some big changes, especially in the world of golf. Jon Rahm, a well-known Spanish golfer, has made a massive jump on the list. Let’s dive into why this happened and what it means for the world of golf.
Jon Rahm, who is 29 years old, landed the number 2 spot on Forbes’ recently released list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. Over the past year, he earned a whopping $218 million. Most of this, around $198 million, came from his earnings and contracts on the golf course. The remaining $20 million came from endorsements, like deals with Callaway, Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, and Santander Group.
The time frame Forbes used to track this income was from May 1, 2023, to May 1, 2024. Rahm’s rise on the list is mostly due to his signing with LIV Golf in December of the previous year. Though the exact details of his contract haven’t been publicized, it’s believed to be at least $300 million over multiple years.
Before joining LIV Golf, Rahm had a fantastic run on the PGA Tour. From January to April 2023, he won four times, including a major victory at the Masters. His official prize money from the PGA Tour last season was $16.5 million.
Since joining LIV, Rahm hasn’t won any tournaments yet, but he’s been performing solidly. He hasn’t finished worse than 10th in seven starts and has finished third twice. In his two major appearances with LIV, he tied for 45th at the Masters and was cut at the PGA Championship last week.
Cristiano Ronaldo took the top spot on the Forbes list with $260 million in earnings. Rahm wasn’t alone on the list; four other golfers made the top 50. They are Rory McIlroy (19th, $80.1 million), Tiger Woods (23rd, $67.2 million), Scottie Scheffler (29th, $59.2 million), and Cameron Smith (43rd, $48 million). Interestingly, Smith, like Rahm, left the PGA Tour for LIV.
Last year, golfers Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, who also signed with LIV, were in the top 10. It’s important to note that it was the first time in six years that Tiger Woods wasn’t the highest-paid golfer.
A possible merge between the PGA Tour and the Saudi PIF, which backs LIV Golf, hasn’t seen much progress. Rahm stirred some controversy with his recent comments at the PGA Championship when he said, “I’m still a PGA Tour member, whether suspended or not. I still want to support the PGA Tour and I think that’s an important distinction to make. I don’t feel like I’m on the other side. I’m just not playing there.” This raised a few eyebrows among golf analysts, especially on the Golf Channel.
Jon Rahm’s massive leap on Forbes’ list shows just how much the LIV Golf contracts are changing the landscape of the sport. With earnings in the hundreds of millions, Rahm and other golfers who moved to LIV are now among the richest athletes in the world. It’s clear that these contracts have had a significant impact on the rankings, and it will be interesting to see how this continues to evolve.
Source: Golf
