Tiger Woods pockets $55 million as U.S. Open impact clear despite not even playing

Tiger Woods will not be featuring at the U.S. Open at Oakmont this week but the 15-time majors winner has still managed to pocket a staggering sum of money in 2025

Tiger Woods will not be competing at this year’s U.S. Open(Image: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods is missing from another major with injury keeping him out of the U.S. Open at Oakmont – yet the legendary golfer keeps winning beyond the fairways.

The 49-year-old has been dealing with injuries in the latter part of his career and is still rehabbing from a torn Achilles he incurred earlier this year. Even though Woods hasn’t played in an official PGA event since the 2024 Open Championship last July, he’s landed on Forbes’ list of highest-earning golfers for 2025.

Woods also shared his thoughts on the U.S. Open course, hinting it may favor players like Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, although his video had fans distracted by his appearance. Forbes released their earnings list just before the U.S. Open kicked off, with Woods securing fourth place, partly due to revenue from TMRW Golf League (TGL) events he launched with McIlroy.

This achievement follows the conclusion of a long-standing 27-year endorsement deal with Nike. Still, the owner of 15 major titles managed to rake in $10 million from golf-related activities and a whopping $45 million through other ventures, totaling an impressive $55 million in earnings.

Woods continues to be one of golf’s most prominent figures, resisting the pull of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series unlike some of his contemporaries, including Bryson DeChambeau who has hinted the option remains on the table.

Despite LIV’s “mind-blowingly enormous” offer to make Woods the poster boy for their league, as LIV CEO Greg Norman revealed, Tiger has firmly turned them down.

Reports suggest that the nine-figure deal in question likely fell between $700 million and $800 million, a figure that would eclipse the current record contract, which is thought to be Jon Rahm’s $450 million agreement.

Rahm led the Forbes list for golf earnings in 2025, as the 30 year old Spaniard raked in $92 million on the course and an additional $10 million off it, totaling $102 million. PGA stars Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy followed closely behind, securing second and third place in earnings with $97 million and $84 million respectively.

Regarding Tiger Woods’ condition, he announced in March that he had a successful operation to repair his left Achilles after experiencing “a sharp pain” while practicing. The iconic golfer has not set a date for his return, stating that he will “focus on my recovery and rehab,” rather than hurrying back into competition.

Looking ahead to the U.S. Open, current world number one Scottie Scheffler stands as the top contender to triumph at Oakmont. However, last year’s winner Bryson DeChambeau is also expected to challenge for the title, with some pundits backing him to defend his championship successfully.