For years, sports commentators, fans, and others have been convinced that Tiger Woods should retire. His body seems to be falling apart from numerous injuries, with the most serious involving four back surgeries within four years. These injuries have caused him to miss many tournaments over the years and have affected his ability to perform at the professional level. In fact, it has been eleven years since he won a major championship. Along with his injury problems, Woods’ personal life has come under public scrutiny, namely a sex scandal and DUI charges. As a result, Woods’ career has not been a walk in the park.
At the young age of 20, he turned pro and was the youngest professional golfer to win the Masters in 1997. To date, Tiger Woods has won 15 major tournament titles, 81 PGA Tour wins, and 41 European tour wins, with five Masters wins. Woods is arguably the most famous professional golfer in the world with a net worth of $800 million and an annual salary of $50-60 million, topping at $1.5 billion since 1996, making him the most lucrative golfer in history. His accolades are numerous, including PGA Player of the year 11 times, Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the year twice, and AP Male Athlete of the year four times.
While Woods became famous for his golfing abilities, like many popular sports professionals, he actually makes the majority of his earnings from endorsements. His earnings for playing golf total $118 million since 1996 at 7.6% of his total career revenue. His earnings from endorsements are roughly 92.4% of his total career revenue at $1.4 billion. His recent win at the Masters makes him a hot target again for companies, especially Nike, which has stuck with him through everything. In fact, just minutes after winning the Masters, Nike broadcasted a new ad.
Woods’ particular career demands a relatively clean slate in the public eye and the ability to perform his job. If he underperforms and disappoints his fans with his personal choices, he risks losing his career as well as sponsors and fans, not to mention the value of his brand. Woods’ personal mistakes have already cost him an estimated $50 million in endorsements. However, in the sports world, perseverance and winning make a player more marketable and gives the public the incentive to become more forgiving.
Woods is a smart business man who doesn’t give up when the going gets tough. His recent Masters win benefited several companies that Woods endorses. For instance, during the Masters, Nike experienced $22.5 million in exposure, Monster Energy experienced $960,000, and Bridgestone experienced $134.000. And these are only a few of the companies he endorses. In addition to his endorsements, he received recognition from President Donald Trump with the Presidential Medal of Freedom award. Not to mention, Woods is an entrepreneur. His TGR company encompasses his many businesses including a restaurant, an events company that organizes PGA TOUR tournaments, TGR Design, which designs golf courses, and the Tiger Woods Foundation. Therefore, it is likely that Woods will be just fine for a long time to come. His Masters win was just the icing on the cake that will gain him even more attention and opportunities.