Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson is one of the highest-earning golfers in history, with career on-course earnings exceeding $95 million on the PGA Tour alone. But his LIV Golf contract, signed in 2022, reportedly guaranteed him $200 million -- more than double his entire PGA Tour prize money earnings. Mickelson was the highest-profile defector to LIV and the deal fundamentally altered the economics of professional golf, triggering a bidding war for top talent that ultimately led to the PGA Tour-LIV merger discussions.

Mickelson's endorsement income has been consistently among the highest in golf. KPMG, Rolex, Callaway, and Amstel Light were long-time partners, though several paused or ended deals following his controversial LIV Golf comments in 2022. Despite the controversy, Mickelson's guaranteed LIV money made him one of the highest-paid athletes in the world in 2022 and 2023, and his endorsement portfolio has partially recovered.

With six major championships, including his emotional 2021 PGA Championship victory at age 50 (the oldest major champion in history), Mickelson has maintained competitive relevance across four decades. His gambling habits have been widely reported -- he reportedly lost over $40 million gambling over a multi-year period -- but his earnings have been so massive that his net worth has continued to grow despite the losses. Mickelson is a reminder that in modern professional golf, the real money is in the guaranteed contracts and endorsements, not the Sunday check.