For the first time since Golf Digest magazine began ranking golf’s top earners 13 years ago, someone other than Tiger Woods is No.1.
Mirroring his decline on the course, the American has also been usurped when it comes to the sport’s money list.
With Woods earning less than a million dollars on the course for the second year running, his overall earnings fell below €50million, dropping him to third on the list behind new kid on the block Jordan Spieth and old rival Phil Mickelson.
Spieth’s incredible 2015, when he won the Masters, the US Open and the FedEx Cup, saw him bank more than €21million on the course, in addition to the €27million in commercial earnings from the likes of Under Armour, AT&T and Rolex.
Spieth just edged out Mickelson, whose €46million in off-course earnings has seen him overtake Woods for the first time, with Rory McIlroy dropping one spot to fourth at just over €43million.
It was also a productive year for McIlroy’s fellow Irishmen Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington, who each won on the PGA Tour in 2015.
Harrington’s Honda Classic victory contributed mightily to on-course earnings of nearly €1.4million, which combined with his sponsorship deals to earn the Dubliner 49th spot in the rankings with a total of €4.8million.
McDowell earned slightly less at almost €1.1million but despite dropping to 39th place the Ulsterman still pocketed a cool €5.5million.
The list also shows how fruitful life can for the old guard too. Arnold Palmer (€37m) rounds out the top five, while Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Greg Norman and Nick Faldo are all in the top 25 despite barely playing, if at all.
Golf Digest’s top five earners:
1. Jordan Spieth – €48.9million
2. Phil Mickelson – €48.2million
3. Tiger Woods – €44.8million
4. Rory McIlroy – €43.3million
5. Arnold Palmer – €37million
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