Legend Tiger Woods is the highest paid golfer in history

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Golf legend Tiger Woods (right) is the world's top money maker from golf tournaments. (Source: Getty)

In 1996, when he officially entered the PGA Tour, the most prestigious arena in the golf world, Tiger Woods revolutionized the sport .

Woods' victory at The Masters 1997, with a score of -18, completely overwhelming the runner-up Tom Kite (-6), further increased the appeal of golf as well as opened a new era of prize money.

When Woods donned the traditional green jacket at the historic Augusta National Golf Club (Augusta, Georgia), he received $486,000 of the $2.7 million prize fund.

The last man to win The Masters was Scottie Scheffler. The current world number one shared $2.7 million of the $15 million.

To date, the prize money alone in the "Super Tiger" PGA Tour career is more than 120 million USD (specifically 120,954,766 USD).

In addition, Woods has more than $13 million in prize money from unofficial events, along with $23 million from the Player Impact Program (PIP) - an award created by the PGA Tour to honor the most influential golfers.

Woods won the 2022 PIP election with a prize of $15 million. In 2021, he received $8 million from this award.

Woods is by far the highest-earning athlete in golf history. His total earnings are $157,270,557.

If anyone has the potential to surpass Woods in terms of money in the world of golf, it is Dustin Johnson.

Johnson's career - with 24 PGA Tour titles - benefited greatly from the revolution Woods created, as prize money continued to rise.

Johnson earned more than $74 million from playing on the PGA Tour. Other bonuses helped DJ earn more than $96 million from the US circuit.

In the exodus to LIV Golf, a tournament sponsored by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, DJ is one of the most prominent faces.

Last year, no one received more LIV Golf prizes than Johnson. The 38-year-old American golfer took home $35 million in individual and team prizes from the Saudi Arabia tournament in 2022.

Johnson currently has an income of 133 million USD from golf competitions. If he continues to compete steadily at LIV Golf, the day he surpasses Woods is not far away.