Big LIV contracts shake up Forbes’ checklist of richest athletes

No athlete made an even bigger leap in Forbes’ annual World’s Highest-Paid Athletes rating than Jon Rahm. We’ll provide you with one guess why.

Rahm, the 29-year-old Spaniard, got here in at No. 2 on the not too long ago launched checklist, along with his whole earnings over the previous 12 months estimated at $218 million. In response to Forbes, $198 million of that got here from his on-course earnings/contracts, whereas $20 million got here off the course by issues akin to endorsements.

To compile its rating, Forbes tracked earnings from Could 1, 2023, to Could 1, 2024. For LIV gamers who obtained assured contracts, Forbes calculated these sums by way of conversations with trade sources and estimated that prime LIV gamers obtained half of their ensures upfront, with remaining signing bonus cash to be paid by the course of the contracts.

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo topped the checklist, with $260 million in earnings.

Rahm, who wasn’t on final 12 months’s rating, shocked the golf world when he signed with LIV Golf in December of final 12 months. Whereas specifics of the deal haven’t been made public, it’s been beforehand reported that the quantity was at the least $300 million over a number of years. Rahm gained 4 occasions on the PGA Tour from January 2023 to April 2023, which included the Masters for his second main title. He formally earned $16.5 million in prize cash on the PGA Tour final season. Forbes checklist his sponsors for that point interval as Callaway, Mercedes-Benz, Rolex and Santander Group.

Rahm has but to win since he’s moved to LIV Golf, however he hasn’t completed worse than tenth in his seven begins. He’s completed third twice.

In his two main appearances since becoming a member of LIV, Rahm tied for forty fifth on the Masters and was reduce ultimately week’s PGA Championship.

Rahm was one in every of 5 golfers on the Forbes’ top-50 checklist, which included Rory McIlroy (nineteenth, $80.1 million whole), Tiger Woods (twenty third, $67.2 million), Scottie Scheffler (twenty ninth, $59.2 million) and Cameron Smith (forty third, $48 million).

Smith, like Rahm, left the PGA Tour for LIV. Smith gained the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews, then signed with LIV on the finish of the PGA Tour season. Smith’s signing bonus has been rumored to be 9 figures.

In Forbes’ 2023 checklist launched final 12 months, Dustin Johnson (No. 6, $107 million) and Phil Mickelson (No. 7, $106 million) — contemporary off their offers with LIV — had been the one golfers ranked within the prime 10. Final 12 months was additionally the primary time in six years Woods wasn’t ranked because the world’s highest-paid golfer.

A possible merger between the PGA Tour and the Saudi PIF, which funds LIV Golf, has made little progress during the last 12 months. Rahm missed the reduce at Valhalla final week, however he did create headlines — and was closely criticized by Golf Channel analysts — when he mentioned he nonetheless considers himself a member of the PGA Tour.

“I’m nonetheless a PGA Tour member, whether or not suspended or not,” Rahm mentioned final Tuesday. “I nonetheless wish to assist the PGA Tour and I believe that’s an necessary distinction to make. I don’t really feel like I’m on the opposite facet. I’m simply not taking part in there.”

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of many sport’s most-read information and repair web sites. He spends most of his days writing, modifying, planning and questioning if he’ll ever break 80. Earlier than becoming a member of GOLF.com in 2015, he labored at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State College in Mankato, Minn., he resides within the Twin Cities along with his spouse and two youngsters. You possibly can attain him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.