The annual “World’s Highest-Paid Athletes” list published by Forbes, typically released between May and June, is widely recognized for its reliability. It ranks athletes based on estimated total earnings (including prize money, bonuses, endorsement deals, and other off-course income, before taxes and agent fees) from May 1 of the previous year to April 30 of the current year.
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo topped the list for the third consecutive year with an estimated $275 million in 2025. Following him were basketball player Stephen Curry ($156 million), boxer Tyson Fury ($146 million), NFL star Dak Prescott ($137 million), and soccer legend Lionel Messi ($135 million). Shohei Ohtani ranked 9th with $102.5 million.
Thanks to the emergence of LIV Golf, prize money and bonuses for professional golfers have skyrocketed. Five golfers made the Forbes top 50:
– 12th: Jon Rahm ($100 million)
– 14th: Scottie Scheffler ($92.5 million)
– 17th: Rory McIlroy ($87.9 million)
– 45th: Tiger Woods ($55.4 million)
– 49th: Xander Schauffele ($53.6 million)
Many fans are curious about where players like Bryson DeChambeau, who received huge LIV guarantees, and Hideki Matsuyama, who has been appearing in more TV commercials lately, rank. In fact, the highly respected sports business media outlet Sportico recently published its “World’s Highest-paid Golfers 2026” list, covering earnings from April 2025 onward. This ranking includes on-course income (prize money, bonuses, LIV annual guarantees) and off-course income (endorsements, appearance fees, licensing, business cash flow, and stock sale proceeds).
According to Sportico’s top 10, Jon Rahm leads with $102 million ($92 million on-course, $10 million off-course). The list confirms that Hideki Matsuyama, while not in the top 10 of the overall Forbes list, has firmly entered the top 10 among professional golfers worldwide. Among his peers, only a select few out-earned him, and compared to Shohei Ohtani’s total earnings, no golfer surpassed that figure in the Forbes ranking — though Rahm came close.