Tiger Woods has made history this week by becoming only the third billionaire athlete in the history of modern sports — and the first non-basketball player.
Forbes on Friday published an article claiming it estimated Woods' current net worth at least $1 billion. Forbes previously estimated his career net worth to be $1.7 billion in early April, though he technically wasn't considered a billionaire at the time.
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Woods' current net worth reflects his status as one of the greatest golfers of all time, and he reached it despite reportedly turning down a deal from the upstart LIV Golf tour that numbered in the "high nine digits," per The Washington Post.
With that, Woods joins Michael Jordan and LeBron James as only the third athlete billionaire (though it's worth noting others have earned billions in adjusted inflation, per a 2021 article from Sportico.) Jordan did not reach his billionaire status until 2014, 11 years after his last game. James managed the feat while still a player in the NBA.
Woods managed to replicate James' feat as achieving billionaire status while still actively playing (though he is selective of which PGA Tour events he plays following a February 2021 car crash). Woods is also the first non-basketball athlete to achieve that status.
Here's a closer look at Woods' net worth, including his per-year and career earnings and money made off the golf course:
Tiger Woods' net worth
Forbes in April listed Woods' career net worth at least $1.7 billion, though it did not consider him an active billionaire until this week.
It's worth noting that the vast majority of Woods' wealth hasn't come from his golf earnings, however. Per the PGA Tour, Tiger's career earnings value at $121 million — roughly 7.11 percent of his total $1.7 billion net worth.
Instead, Forbes lists the vast majority of Woods' net worth as coming from endorsement deals:
The bulk of his fortune comes from enormous endorsement deals with more than a dozen brands, including Gatorade, Monster Energy, TaylorMade, Rolex and Nike, with whom he signed in 1996 and which remains his biggest backer.
Forbes claims Woods at his peak made at least $100 million per year off the course. It also listed him as being the top-earning athlete for 10 straight years from 2003-12. Even following his February 2021 car crash, Woods makes considerable money in endorsements.
Forbes listed him as earning $68 million in endorsement revenue over the last 12 months, making him the 14th-highest-paid athlete in the world and the top-earning golfer.
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PGA Tour's highest-paid players for 2021-22
Tiger Woods is nowhere near the top-earning golfer during the 2021-22 PGA Tour. He has made only $43,500 in earnings for the season, which ranks 231st among eligible players, according to ESPN.
Golf differs from other major sports in that there is no guaranteed money associated with contracts. Players only make money based off their finish in tournaments. Woods has only competed in two tournaments this year: the PGA Championship and the Masters.
Woods withdrew from the PGA in the third round, resulting in zero earnings for the tournament. He finished 47th at the Masters, resulting in his $43,500 payday.
| Rank | Player | 2021-22 earnings |
| 1. | Scottie Scheffler | $11,215,187 |
| 2. | Cameron Smith | $7,166,637 |
| 3. | Sam Burns | $6,145,981 |
| 4. | Justin Thomas | $5,821,111 |
| 5. | Rory McIlroy | $4,954,511 |
| 6. | Patrick Cantlay | $4,911,061 |
| 7. | Will Zalatoris | $4,883,750 |
| 8. | Max Homa | $4,877,560 |
| 9. | Hideki Matsuyama | $4,816,991 |
| 10. | Billy Horschel | $4,704,628 |
Tiger Woods' per-year earnings
Woods' per-year earnings reflect his status as one of the greatest golfers of all time. ESPN, which tracks the numbers back to 2003, reports Woods as having the highest on-course earnings of any golfer on the PGA Tour every season from 2005 through 2007, as well as 2009 and 2013.
He also earned the second-most winnings in 2003, 2008 and 2012 and was a top-10 earner in 2004 and 2018.
| Year | Earnings |
| 1996 | $890,000 |
| 1997 | $2.38 million |
| 1998 | $2.93 million |
| 1999 | $7.68 million |
| 2000 | $11.03 million |
| 2001 | $7.77 million |
| 2002 | $8.29 million |
| 2003 | $6,673,413 |
| 2004 | $5,365,473 |
| 2005 | $10,628,024 |
| 2006 | $9,941,563 |
| 2007 | $10,867,052 |
| 2008 | $5,775,000 |
| 2009 | $10,508,163 |
| 2010 | $1,294,765 |
| 2011 | $660,238 |
| 2012 | $6,133,159 |
| 2013 | $8,553,439 |
| 2013-14 | $108,275 |
| 2014-15 | $448,598 |
| 2015-16 | $0 |
| 2016-17 | $107,000 |
| 2017-18 | $5,443,841 |
| 2018-19 | $3,199,615 |
| 2019-20 | $2,083,038 |
| 2020-21 | $64,200 |
| 2021-22 | $43,500 |
Earnings listed from 1996-2002 provided via Statista.com. Earnings from 2003-22 provided via ESPN.com.
Tiger Woods' career earnings
Per the PGA Tour, Woods has had the highest career earnings of any golfer since the 2004 PGA Tour. He did not pass the $100 million earnings mark until the completion of the 2012 PGA Tour season.
| Year | Career Earnings** |
| 2004 | $45,142,737 |
| 2005 | $55,770,760 |
| 2006 | $65,712,324 |
| 2007 | $76,579,376 |
| 2008 | $82,354,376 |
| 2009 | $92,862,539 |
| 2010 | $94,157,304 |
| 2011 | $94,787,167 |
| 2012 | $100,950,700 |
| 2013 | $109,504,139 |
| 2014 | $109,612,414 |
| 2015 | $110,061,012 |
| 2016 | $110,061,012 |
| 2017 | $110,061,012 |
| 2018 | $115,504,853 |
| 2019 | $118,704,468 |
| 2020 | $120,787,506 |
| 2021 | $120,851,706 |
| 2022 | $120,895,206 |
