| Real Name: | Ava Marie DuVernay |
| Birthday: | August 24, 1972 |
| Net Worth | $70 million |
| Height: | 167 cm |
| Occupation: | Filmmaker |
Tiger Foods is the richest golfer in the world. He is one of the richest athletes. He was the first billionaire in sports. Then he lost most of his fortune due to sexual affair scandal and divorce. And now, he is back at the top. Woods won his first Masters when he was 21 years old. Now, at 44 years old, he is again close to a billion dollars.
Content Compass
Early Career Highs
Tiger Woods became a professional golfer in 1996. Immediately, he got a deal with Nike and Titleist. Thanks to his collegiate career, Woods was famous even before stepping on the professional golf course.
In 1997, he won his Masters. It was his first major tournament. Two months later, he set the record for the fastest ascent to No.1 in the Official World Golf Rankings. In 1998, he had a lackluster year but finished the 1999 season with eight wins.
At the time, he was severely myopic, with an eyesight rating of 11 diopters. He underwent laser eye surgery in 1999. With six consecutive wins in 2000, he had a great start to the new millennium.
Jump to $100 Million
Tiger made his professional golf debut on August 29, 1996. He won The Masters just 228 days later. He signed a 5-year, $40 million deal with Nike the same year. He also signed a 5-year, $20 million deal with Titleist.
After winning the Byron Nelson Classic, he signed a 5-year $30 million deal with American Express. The three endorsement deals combined with his golf earnings gave him $100 million in career earnings.
He earned $100 million in just 8 months.
In 2009 Tiger Woods worth was $500 million, making him the second-richest person of color in the United States. Only Oprah had a higher net worth of $2.5 billion.
The same year, he was the world’s first athlete to earn over a billion dollars in his career. He topped $1 billion with the $10 million bonus after winning the Fed Ex Cup.
Marriage and Divorce
Woods and Elin Nordegren got married in 2004. They had their first child, Sam Alexis Woods in 2007. The couple got their second child, Charlie Axel Woods in 2009. When it seemed like 2009 will be his most successful year, Woods climbed down.
By the end of 2009, a sex affair ruined his marriage and appeal. The infidelity scandal rocked the couple and led to the end of their marriage in 2010.
The divorce cut back his net worth in many different ways. For starters, he paid $100 million worth of assets and cash. But the infidelity scandal ruined his image. Many companies closed their endorsement deals.
The Comeback
Tiger Woods is one of the best athletes in the world. His professional golf career is astonishing. Following the downside spiral in 2009 and 2010, he came back to the winning course. He has one of the biggest athlete business empires in history. Woods managed to overcome the infidelity scandal that nearly derailed his career.
In 2009 he still played and performed well winning the 2009 President Cup. But things went down from there. His sponsors canceled their contracts. His ranking fell. For the first time in his career, he did not win a single event in 2010. And he continued the dismal performance through 2011.
But in 2013, he got back to his original form. He won the Farmers Insurance Open in January and the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March. With the win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he got back to his No.1 position. Winning brought back earnings as well.
- In 2016, Woods earned a total of $34.61 million
- In 2017, Woods earned a total of $43.3 million
- In 2018, Woods earned a total of $36.1 million
- And in 2019, he earned more than $65 million
What do Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, and Lebron James have in Common?
These three are some of the most successful athletes. But they have something more in common. Besides titles, they earn the most money of endorsements. Salary amounts between 6 and 9 percent of their total career earnings. The bulk of their earnings are from endorsements.
Tiger Woods, for example, earned more than $1.6 billion from endorsements. The list of sponsors includes Nike, Gatorade, American Express, Rolex, Tag Heuer, AT&T, EA Sports, Golf Digest, and more. Nike was one of the few sponsors that didn’t cut ties in 2009 when the infidelity scandal broke out.
Gatorade developed a custom branded drink for Woods. His deal is $100 million over five years, and he got a drink called “Gatorade Tiger”.
Assets and Lifestyle
Here are some examples of his lavish lifestyle.
- He has a $25 million yacht named “Privacy”. He sleeps there during tournaments near water
- He owns a $54 million Gulfstream G550 private jet
- His PGA tour Pension plan is at least $20 million
- Woods a 12-acre ocean-front property in Jupiter, Florida, worth more than $55 million