Jon Rahm’s $218 million LIV contract helps him become 2nd highest earning athlete after soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo

Jon Rahm's move to LIV Golf continues to be the talk of the town, even though more than six months have passed. The financial aspect of the matter has always been under the spotlight, and recently his earnings were estimated at $218 million.

Forbes magazine published this Thursday its traditional list of the highest paid athletes of the last 12 months. The article estimates Jon Rahm's earnings for the period at $218 million, second only to soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Jon Rahm, 2024 PGA Championship (Image via Getty).

According to the report, Rahm moved from 28th place on the 2023 list to 2nd place in 2024, largely because of his deal with LIV Golf. The article mentions that the Spaniard reportedly signed for $350 million, although other media talk about more than $500 million.

Jon Rahm is one more of the athletes from various sports who have seen their earnings grow significantly after entering a league backed by Saudi money. In the same case are Cristiano Ronaldo himself, Neymar and Karim Benzema, all in the Top 10s of the list.

The Top 10s of the highest paid athletes is headed by Cristiano Ronaldo, followed by Rahm, Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, Karim Benzema, Stephen Curry and Lamar Jackson.

Jon Rahm's 2023-2024 earnings at a glance

Rahm had an excellent 2023 season on the PGA Tour, which was reflected in his earnings from professional golf. The Spaniard earned $16.5 million on the American based circuit.

Rahm won four PGA Tour tournaments in 2023, including The Masters. His biggest paycheck of the year came for winning The Genesis Invitational ($3.6 million). His victory at Augusta National earned him $3.24 million.

His other victories were at The Sentry and the American Express. The first title earned him $2.7 million and the second $1.44 million. Rahm had two other million-dollar finishes during the season, third place at the WM Phoenix Open ($1.38 million) and second place at The Open Championship ($1.084 million).

In addition, Rahm played only three DP World Tour tournaments during the season, but earned more than $400,000 for his results there.

In 2024, he has only played in LIV Golf, with the exception of The Masters. In the breakaway league he has not won, but he has had six Top 10s in seven events, in addition to winning twice with his Legion XIII team.

These results have earned him $6.6 million. As for The Masters, his T45 earned him $57,000.