Golf champion Tiger Woods has joined basketball superstars Michael Jordan and LeBron James in a select group of elite athletes with a net worth of at least $1 billion, Forbes magazine said.
Woods has won 15 Grand Slams and returned to compete in the Masters Championships last April after a 14-month absence due to a car accident that nearly cost him the loss of his right leg.
Forbes magazine reported that Woods has earned more than $1.7 billion in prize money, sponsorship and other projects during his 27-year career.
She added that his golf earnings amount to less than 10% of his earnings from sports, and the bulk of his net worth is due to sponsorship and advertising contracts with brands such as Nike and Rolex.
Jordan - the 6-time NBA champion - was the first athlete to reach this achievement, and 4-times champion LeBron James joined him only last week, after the magazine estimated the fortune of the Los Angeles Lakers player at one billion dollars.