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Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods was born December 30, 1975. He is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No. 1, he was the highest-paid professional athlete in 2008 and it is now estimated that he has surpassed the $1 billion mark in earnings.
It's not certain if Tiger is a billionaire athlete yet, but if it did not happen on Sunday with the $10 million bonus, it is likely only a matter of months or his next check from Nike. Woods has been the world's highest-paid athlete since 2002. It was only a matter of time before he became the highest paid.
Woods has been called the world's most marketable athlete. Shortly after his 21st birthday in 1996, he began signing numerous endorsement deals with companies including General Motors, Titleist, General Mills, American Express, Accenture and Nike. In 2000, he signed a 5-year, $105 million contract extension with Nike. It was the largest endorsing deal ever signed by an athlete at that time.
Tiger Woods certainly has a great list of sponsors, but Nike is certainly his biggest. Nike launched a golf division with Woods carrying the brand, and sales are now $800 million annually. Nike pays Woods upward of $30 million annually for his top-notch endorsement.
Tiger Woods married Elin Nordegren in October 5, 2004. They have two children, Sam Alexis Woods and Charlie Axel. At the age of 33, Tiger Woods may have earned his first billion, but he has many years of golfing ahead. Chances are there are many more billions to come.
Cheryl Phillips
Exclusive to HULIQ.com
sources: Wikipedia, Forbes
Posted October 5th, 2009 by Cheryl Phillips
