Tiger Woods back on Forbes MyZA

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tiger Woods had a dramatic fall from grace after his 2009 car crash. This led to him losing five sponsors, $50 million in annual income, his place atop the world golf rankings and his marriage.

But thanks to his six victories over the last 12 months, Woods is back at No. 1 on the course and on Forbes’ annual ranking of the world’s highest-paid athletes – a spot he occupied every year from 2001 until 2012, when boxer Floyd Mayweather ranked first.

Forbes estimates that Woods pulled in $78.1 million over the last year from prize money, endorsements, appearance fees and golf course design work. His resurgence on the links boosted his prize money over the last 12 months to $13.1 million, double his total from the prior year. He now has 78 career PGA Tour wins, only four short of the all-time record held by Sam Snead.

Woods’ off-course income is also up big thanks to sponsor bonuses tied to his strong play. Woods continues to get a healthy payout from his Tiger Woods PGA Tour video game franchise, with new versions released annually by Electronic Arts.

This year’s is the 16th in the series, which is the fifth biggest sports franchise all-time for EA and has generated $754 million of revenue in the U.S. since its initial launch in 1998, according to research firm NPD Group. Other partners in Woods’ endorsement stable include Nike, Rolex, Upper Deck, TLC Eye Centers, NetJets, Japan’s Kowa and sports nutrition firm Fuse Science. – Forbes