Scottie Scheffler enjoyed a mammoth year in 2024, winning nine times and collecting just north of $70 million in various on-course earnings.
He banked $25 million exclusively via the FedEx Cup Playoffs and $16 million through a combination of the Comcast Business Tour Top-10 and the Player Impact Program.
The total was topped up by his $5 million cryptocurrency victory alongside Rory McIlroy in The Showdown last December and the $37,500 he was given by the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee for winning gold in Paris.
In addition to his winnings, the 28-year-old watched a further $28 million arrive through endorsements and the like, according to Sportico, leading to a mind-boggling overall total of $104.3 million in a year. Let that sink in for a second.
And yet, Scheffler wasn't the top earner in golf. He also wasn't inside the top-10 of highest-earning sport stars in the world last year, either.
The World No.1 was beaten to the richest punch by LIV Golf's Jon Rahm, who reportedly secured a grand total of $105.8 million in 2024.
Taking away the $20 million that the Spaniard earned in endorsements and the circa $35 million that Rahm scooped in LIV prize money, the rest was accrued via the two-time Major winner's behemoth of a contract with the PIF-backed circuit. Sportico says that its calculations in relation to each golfer's total earning figure can include "proportional signing bonuses doled out by LIV Golf."
The sport-business outlet also reported that many of the leading LIV players received roughly half of their bonus payments when they signed their contracts and another portion when they teed it up at their first LIV event, citing "multiple golf agents familiar with the contracts." From there, the remaining signing bonus is paid out over the course of the contract's duration.
Rahm led four LIV players from a total of nine golfers inside the world's top-100 highest earners last year - all of which were male.
Legion XIII teammate Tyrrell Hatton was ranked 57th overall thanks to total earnings of $47.1 million while Joaquin Niemann was not far behind in 66th with $45.9 million. Bryson DeChambeau - who sealed his second US Open triumph in June - was 97th with $38.2 million.
The man DeChambeau bested that week, McIlroy, might not have added to his four Major championships in 2024, but he did enjoy another stellar year, financially. The Northern Irishman earned $79.8 million - $45 million of which was through endorsements - ranking him 17th overall.
Speaking ahead of the Genesis Invitational this week - a $20 million Signature Event - McIlroy spoke about the divide in men's pro golf and highlighted how much more money the players have made as a result since 2022.
He said: "Like for me, we’ve all done better from all of this. Whether you stayed on the PGA Tour or you left, we have all benefited from this. I’ve been on the record saying this a lot, like we’re playing for a $20 million prize fund this week. That would have never happened if LIV hadn’t have come around."
Tiger Woods only played a handful of times last year but still managed to pick up a little over $10 million in on-course earnings - the overwhelming majority of which was banked through the Player Impact Program. Then, $52 million of his $62.1 million total arrived through endorsements.
Almost the forgotten player despite picking up two Major championships and enjoying a season which blew most others out of the water, Xander Schauffele marked himself down as the 36th-highest-earning sport star of 2024 via $55.8 million - $33.8 million of which came through on-course achievements.
The final man in Sportico's list was Collin Morikawa, who picked up $43.1 million last year. Morikawa was incredibly consistent all season long and that helped him to $30.1 million in on-course earnings - ultimately marking him down as the 78th-highest-earning sport star of 2024.
While there were no females in the list, Nelly Korda was the most prolific earner in women’s golf last term with the World No.1 collecting $14.4 million from a season that included seven wins.
That ranked her eighth on the list of highest-paid female sport stars as tennis player, Coco Gauff topped the list with $30.4 million. The Minnesota Vikings' back-up quarterback, Daniel Jones was no.100 in the overall list with $37.5 million.
