Jon Rahm is the world's highest-paid athlete in 2023 after move to LIV Golf

12/09/2023 12:54 PM

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund hasn’t been afraid to dish out money to lure the top PGA Tour stars to come and play for LIV Golf.

Jon Rahm is no exception. In fact, he’s the new bar.

Although an exact figure has yet to be determined, estimates on how much Rahm was paid to leave the PGA Tour were in the $400 million to $600 million range. The Telegraph reported the most precise number at $566 million, with $302 million being paid upfront.

Those figures would move Rahm, the defending Masters champion and 11-time PGA Tour winner, into an upper echelon of athletes earning more than $500 million in their career. He would be the youngest at 29.

Moreover, if the estimates of Rahm’s signing bonus are true, he would be the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2023, according to Forbes.

Soccer players Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Kylian MBappe are at the top of the list with combined earnings on and off the field of $136 million, $130 million and $120 million, respectively. Forbes lists the top-50 athletes, with 15 of those being from the NBA.

Even if that $302 million number was cut in half, Rahm would still be at the top.

The highest-paid golfers this year before Rahm’s signing were a pair of American LIV golfers, Dustin Johnson ($107 million) and Phil Mickelson ($106 million).

Rahm had previously said $400 million wouldn’t change his way of life when previously asked about moving to LIV Golf. However, he admitted money is one of the reasons he went.

“I mean, I'm not going to sit here and lie to you,” Rahm said. “It's definitely one of the reasons.

“Every decision I feel like we make in life there will be somebody who agrees and likes it and somebody who doesn't, right. I made this decision because I believe it's the best for me and my family and everybody I've been able to talk to has been really supportive of me,” Rahm continued. “So I'm very comfortable with my decision. I'm no stranger to hearing some negative things on social media or in media. It's part of what it is, we're public figures but you just learn to deal with it right? This certainly won't define who I am or change who I am.”

However, the number of zeros at the end of his bank statement just went up astronomically.