Tiger Woods Made $83 Million Last Year

Darren Rovell at ESPN picked up the report (which doesn't seem to be up at Golf Digest yet). Rovell reports $71 million came from off course endorsements, and the rest was from his tour winnings. Woods didn't win a major, but won 5 events, and played well throughout the season.

In his lifetime, Woods' earnings are now estimated at $1.3 billion. That's a staggering sum, but it could have been higher if not for his cheating scandal. He was earning $100 million a year at his peak in 2008 and 2009 just before his fall.

Woods' haul puts him well clear of other golfers. Phil Mickelson was in second with $52 million in earnings. Following Mickelson was Arnold Palmer with $40 million, Jack Nicklaus with $26 million, then Henrik Stenson with $22 million, and in sixth was Rory McIlroy with $21 million.

It's not a perfect apples to apples comparison, but using Forbes data it seems Woods is way ahead of all other athletes. Woods was the highest paid athlete in the world last year, according to Forbes, which estimated his 2012 earnings at $78.1 million. The next closest was Roger Federer with $71.5 million.

The lesson here, for parents, is to make sure your kid plays wussy sports like golf or tennis. Almost no brain damage, and the earnings potential is much, much higher.

The only down side to golf is that it's expensive. But, you got to spend money to make money, you know? Even if you're not interested in turning your kid into a cash cow, golf is just awesome. You and your kid will have fun playing. It's the best sport in the world.