Phil Mickelson, 52, Is the Highest Paid Athlete in the World Over Lionel Messi and LeBron James: Report

The LIV Golf is bringing many changes to the world of golf; one of them is to make its players richer. As the top paid LIV player, the earnings of the 6-time major champion Phil Mickelson in 2022 have increased tremendously. As a matter of fact, it helped him to top all the athletes in the world in terms of career earnings. 

Forbes named Argentina soccer star Lionel Messi the highest-paid athlete in 2022. He had received $130 million from playing events and from endorsement deals. The LA Lakers star player, LeBron James, had second place on the list with his $121.1 million. However, Mickelson now tops the list after receiving the guaranteed money from LIV Golf. 

How much has Phil Mickelson earned in 2022?

According to reports, LIV Golf paid approximately $200 million to Mickelson to play in its Invitational Series. However, Forbes estimated that the golfer received half of what the Saudi-funded sponsor paid upfront, making his earnings in 2022 $138 million. 

Furthermore, Lefty surpassed $1 billion in career earnings with his LIV money. Tiger Woods, Mickelson’s all-time rival, has achieved this feat; he has earned $1.72 billion from his 25+ year career. 

Notably, the 15-time major champion didn’t need the LIV money to cross the $1 billion mark. In fact, he rejected almost a billion-dollar offer from the Saudi-backed league as he wanted to stay true to PGA Tour, which helped him create his legacy. 

Read more: Has Phil Mickelson Ever Been Ranked World #1 in Golf?

Interestingly, only six players were able to earn more than a billion in the world from being athletes before Mickelson. Other than Woods, the list includes the soccer players Christiano Ronaldo ($1.24 B) and Lionel Messi ($1.15 B). The NBA star player LeBron James ($1.16 B), the tennis GOAT Roger Federer ($1.09 B), and the former American professional boxer Floyd Mayweather ($1.08 B)are also part of the list. 

LIV money helped Mickelson earn more than Tiger Woods in 2022

Even when he is not playing, Tiger Woods earns more than any other golfer, thanks to his $68 million earnings from endorsement deals. However, Mickelson ranked higher than him in the highest-paid golfer in the 2022 list with the help of LIV Golf money. 

Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka also ranked higher than Woods on the list. Notably, LIV reportedly paid all these three golfers $100+ million as an appearance fee for playing in its 54-hole Series. Interestingly, only three players from the PGA Tour could secure a place in the top 10 highest-paid golfers in 2022. All the other seven are LIV Golf players. 

It hasn’t been even a year since the LIV Series started. Yet, they have dominated the career earning list. Do you think the list will only have the LIV players in it by next year? 

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