Sports Then and Now

Arnold Palmer’s fame and success transcended golf.

In recent years, golf has become increasingly popular, mainly in countries such as America, Australia and Great Britain. In this article, we are going to talk about the richest golfers and how they have accumulated their net worth. Moreover, you will learn more about their achievements in professional career.

10. Sir Nick Faldo

This charming Brit has had a fascinating career which saw him win six major tournaments. The knighted gentleman is worth $60 million. Nowadays, He generates his money covering the sport news for CBS Sports.

9. Ernie Els

His estimated net worth is $75 million and was acquired through golfing, designing golf courses and a winery he owns, the Ernie Els Wines. The Big Easy, as he is known in the golfing community, has held the #1 spot for 788 weeks during his career. He also holds the record for most weeks in the top 10.

8. Vijay Singh

When you hear the country Fiji, people usually link it with rugby and Fiji’s national team. One Fiji native, however, chose a different sport and in his career he has won three major tournaments.Moreover, he was ranked #1 for two consecutive years in the 2014 & 2015 seasons. Vijay Singh’s net worth is $75 million and this ranks him #8 on out list.

7. Fred Couples

The American has 63 professional wins, including the 1992 Masters Tournament. His great career has managed to accumulate $105 million in the Fred Couples’s bank account. Currently, Fred spends his time playing on the senior’s circuit or in designing golf courses.

6. Phil Mickelson

Mikelson’s stellar career saw him win 5 majors and ranks him second on the PGA Tour’s list of all-time career earnings. Interestingly enough, he actually makes more money from endorsements and in 2011, he was the second-highest paid athlete in the US. His estimated net worth is $180 millions

5. Gary Player

Gary Player is the International Ambassador of Golf, and in his tremendous career, that spreads over 6 decades, he has won 165 professional tournaments including the Grand Slam. The South African has also made money from writing books about golf, designing golf courses and other business ventures. His astonishing career has left him well-off with a net worth of $200 million. Read the rest of this entry →

There are a lot of golf fans who remember with relish the manner with which Sir Nick Faldo defeated Greg Norman in that incredible final round in the 1996 US Masters at Augusta. Faldo on that occasion came back from being six shots behind at the first tee, to win the ‘Green Jacket’ by five shots by the time the two men had finished. Faldo fired a 67, while the hapless Norman shot  a six over 78, his worst ever round at Augusta.

It was of course a disaster for Norman, who was destined never to win a Masters title, but the victory for Faldo gave him his sixth ‘Major’ victory and his third at Augusta. The fact that Faldo won however should not have been as big as a surprise as it was, because just a few years earlier in 1990 at St Andrews, Faldo achieved something very similar.

This time Faldo and Norman, who were the top two in the world rankings at the time, went head to head in the third round of the British Open. They were the final pairing on 12 under par and had established a four stroke lead over the rest of the field. However, as early as the first hole, it was clear that Faldo was the less intimidated as he fired a sublime birdie, while Norman, managed to find the brook to bogey, which gave Faldo an immediate two stroke advantage. Read the rest of this entry →

1996 US Masters winner, Nick Faldo, doesn't celebrate, opting to comfort Greg Norman, who threw away a final round lead

He teed off in the final round six shots clear of playing partner and nearest challenger, Nick Faldo, seven shots clear of Phil Mickelson and a country mile clear of the rest of the field. He had played impeccable golf for three rounds and appeared to have seen off the Faldo challenge in the third round by increasing his tournament lead from four shots to six. It was of course the 1996 US Masters and ‘he’ was the ‘Great White Shark’, Greg Norman.

Up until 1996, Norman had long been regarded as the best player in the world, Faldo did assume the number one ranking for a couple of years at the time when he was winning five ‘major’s in the late 80s early 90’s, but overall it was Norman who had the most ability. Indeed until the 1996 Masters he had finished second or tied second in seven ‘Major’s’ and had fifteen other top ten finishes in ‘Major’s’ but amazingly had only managed to win two, which had come in the Open Championship in 1986 and 1993. Surely the 1996 US Masters was to be his third!

Norman’s first tee shot of the day perhaps told the crowd more than it needed to, but he hooked it into the trees and went on to make a bogey. He followed that up with a long putt to save par on the third, but bogeyed the fourth and then hit his third bogey on eight. Faldo meanwhile was going about his business in his usual pragmatic manner, playing each hole on its merits, relying on course management to provide the ‘birdie’ opportunities and they came on the 6th and the 8th with birdies at each. Faldo was all of a sudden in contention and only 3 shots behind and the formidable Augusta 4 hole turn was coming up. Read the rest of this entry →