Since the beginning of his career, Tiger Woods has been outdoing Phil Mickelson in every aspect. From winning tournaments to creating records, the former has always been ahead of the latter. After signing up with the LIV Golf Invitational Series, ‘Lefty’ won over Woods in terms of their 2022 career earnings. However, a recent report shows that the 15-time major champion is the ultimate champion in that category too. 

Sportico.com recently revealed its ‘Top 100 Highest-Paid Athletes in the World 2022’ list. And like always, Woods secured the top position among all the golfers with his $73.5 million earnings from this year. 

Phil Mickelson is nowhere near Tiger Woods, according to Sportico’s list

Tiger Woods played only five events in 2022, including two non-official events, The Match and the PNC Championship. Yet, he ranks at no. 10 on Sportico’s list of highest-paid athletes of 2022. Notably, only $8.5 million of his earnings came from playing in events. The rest, $65 million, is from his endorsements. 

The 82-time PGA Tour champion may have stepped back from his career due to his injuries from the 2021 accident. However, his popularity hasn’t faded. Brands still keeping him as their face and are offering him endorsement money in millions. 

On the other hand, Phil Mickelson, who has been Woods’ all-time professional rival, ranks at 44 on Sportico’s list. According to Sportico’s list, he earned $7.1 million as career earnings and $30 million from brand endorsements. Notably, he lost many of his old sponsors this year when he switched from PGA Tour to LIV Golf. 

Read more: Tiger Woods Once Made an Honest Confession About His 20-Year Rivalry and Relationship With Phil Mickelson

Although LIV Golf did some damage to Mickelson’s image, it didn’t leave him poor. In a revised list, Forbes named him the highest-paid athlete of 2022. Notably, Lionel Messi was ranked at the no. 1 place in the original list released by Forbes. However, his guaranteed money from LIV Series sponsors made him the richest in the revised list. 

Mickelson earned a lot from LIV Golf that he can beat even LeBron James

According to Sportico, the highest-paid athlete is LeBron James, and his total earnings for the year are $90 million. Although Mickelson’s total earnings from the list are way less than that, his earnings on the Forbes list, $138 million, which he got from LIV Golf this year, make him the richest athlete this year. 

Notably, the parameters Sportico used to determine the rank are not clear. However, if it is accurate, even joining the lucrative LIV Golf couldn’t help Mickelson beat his biggest rival, Woods. 

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