A year ago, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson asked LIV Golf to show them the money — and the upstart league did. As a result, the hefty paydays lifted the multiple major winners onto Forbes' World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes 2023 list.
Johnson, 38, totaled $102 million in on-field earnings and another $5 million off, for a $107 million total that has him at No. 6 on the list. Mickelson, 52, totaled $104 million in on-field earnings, but just $2 million off and is right behind Johnson at No. 7.
According to Forbes’ methodology, on-field earnings figures include all prize money, salaries and bonuses earned between May 1, 2022, and May 1, 2023. Off-field earnings figures are an estimate of sponsorship deals, appearance fees and memorabilia and licensing income for the 12 months leading to May 1, 2023.
There were no golfers on Forbes' 2022 top-10 list.
Johnson won a tour-best $35.6 million in prize money in 2022 and has won $3.3 million already in 2023. Included in Johnson's 2022 on-field earnings was $18 million for winning the season-long individual championship.
Where Johnson felt the pinch of moving to LIV was in off-field earnings. Last year, Forbes reported that Johnson made $29 million off the field.
Soccer's Cristiano Ronaldo ($135 million combined), Lionel Messi ($130 million) and Kylian Mbappe ($120 million) are Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, on the list. NBA player LeBron James ($119.5 million) and boxer Canelo Alvarez ($110 million) round out the top five.
NBA star Stephen Curry ($100.4 million), tennis' Roger Federer ($95.1 million) and NBA standout Kevin Durant ($89.1 million) round out the top 10.
