GOLFER Tiger Woods ranked No. 7 on Forbes first-ever list of America’s Wealthiest Celebrities with an estimated net worth of US$740 million.

    Woods also registers as the second-highest athlete on the list unveiled Friday, only trailing Michael Jordan’s US$1.2 billion valuation.

    Woods net roughly US$100 million annually (combining on-course winnings and sponsorship dollars) in his heyday, but things have slowed down significantly since his 2009 scandal and he only captured US$45 million in 2016. So it is a pleasant surprise for many golf fans that Woods still holds his own this much among America’s wealthiest famous people.

    With only Jordan ahead of him, Woods at some point could become the king of athletes (in net worth). He certainly is that in golf and will remain that way for quite some time, as Phil Mickelson, the only other golfer on this 20-person list, is valued at US$375 million — just over half of Woods’s total — by Forbes.

    Woods, 40, is also the youngest member on Forbes’ list. The top earner on Forbes’ rundown is 72-year-old George Lucas at US$4.6 billion.

    Woods was in the presence of more great wealth Friday, as the 14-time major champion teed it up with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

    Trump, possibly America’s most recognizable business mogul, was already a vaunted billionaire before announcing his run for president last June.

    So that sets up the question: Who has the greater wealth between that power pair?

    According to a Forbes probe in September, Trump actually lost more in net worth (US$800 million) in the last year than Woods has total net worth. Forbes said Trump’s net worth was at US$4.5 billion, and with the US$800 million drop reported in September, that number’s now US$3.7 billion.

    (SD-Agencies)