LIV golfers ft. Phil Mickelson ($106,000,000) and Dustin Johnson ($107,000,000) join Forbes’ world’s highest-paid athletes list

Golf stars Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson have joined Forbes' list of the top 10 highest-paid athletes. Johnson and Mickelson are ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, in the annual list released by the popular magazine.

While Johnson has earned more than $107 million over the past year, Mickelson has also raked in over $106 million during the past 12 months. Surprisingly, the majority of their earnings come from the Saudi-backed circuit's deal, with only a small portion coming from outside sources such as endorsements.

The top-10 list is dominated by soccer superstars, with Cristiano Ronaldo ($136 million), Lionel Messi ($130 million), and Kylian Mbappe ($120 million) leading the rankings. NBA star LeBron James is fourth and has earned around $119.5 million in the past year. Boxer Canelo Alvarez is in fifth place with $110 million.

While Johnson and Mickelson are the only two golfers in the top 10, there are a few more names in the top 50. Rory McIlroy was the highest-paid PGA Tour professional last year, ranking 15th with earnings of $80.8 million. Tiger Woods, despite not playing regularly in recent years, remains among the top-earning golfers with $76.1 million.

Cameron Smith holds the 17th spot with $73 million, followed by Brooks Koepka with $72 million and Bryson DeChambeau with $69 million.

Other golfers on the Forbes list of the top 50 highest-paid athletes include Patrick Reed (32nd), Sergio Garcia (46th), Jon Rahm (28th), Jordan Spieth (43rd), and Scottie Scheffler (45th).

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Forbes list of highest-paid athletes

Here's the Forbes list of the highest-paid athletes:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Soccer): $136 million
2. Lionel Messi (Soccer): $130 million
3. Kylian Mbappé (Soccer): $120 million
4. LeBron James (Basketball): $119.5 million
5. Canelo Alvarez (Boxing): $110 million
6. Dustin Johnson (Golf): $107 million
7. Phil Mickelson (Golf): $106 million
8. Stephen Curry (Basketball): $100.4 million
9. Roger Federer (Tennis): $95.1 million
10. Kevin Durant (Basketball): $89.1 million
11. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Basketball): $87.6 million
12. Neymar (Soccer): $85 million
13. Russell Wilson (Football): $85 million
14. Russell Westbrook (Basketball): $82.1 million
15. Rory McIlroy (Golf): $80.8 million
16. Tiger Woods (Golf): $75.1 million
17. Cameron Smith (Golf): $73 million
18. Brooks Koepka (Golf): $72 million
19. Kyler Murray (Football): $70.5 million
20. Bryson DeChambeau (Golf): $69 million
21. Lewis Hamilton (Auto Racing): $65 million
22. Max Verstappen (Auto Racing): $64 million
23. Klay Thompson (Basketball): $60.9 million
24. Patrick Mahomes (Football): $59.3 million
25. Damian Lillard (Basketball): $58.6 million
26. Max Scherzer (Baseball): $56.7 million
27. James Harden (Basketball): $55.1 million
28. Anthony Joshua (Boxing): $53 million
29. Jon Rahm (Golf): $53 million
30. Aaron Rodgers (Football): $53 million
31. Mohamed Salah (Soccer): $53 million
32. Erling Haaland (Soccer): $52 million
33. Patrick Reed (Golf): $52 million
34. Paul George (Basketball): $51.5 million
35. Kawhi Leonard (Basketball): $50.5 million
36. Bradley Beal (Basketball): $49.8 million
37. Derek Carr (Football): $48.9 million
38. Orlando Brown, Jr. (Football): $48.6 million
39. Aaron Donald (Football): $48.5 million
40. Anthony Davis (Basketball): $48 million
41. Jimmy Butler (Basketball): $47.8 million
42. John Wall (Basketball): $47.8 million
43. Jordan Spieth (Golf): $47.5 million
44. Luka Doncic (Basketball): $47.2 million
45. Scottie Scheffler (Golf): $47.1 million
46. Sergio Garcia (Golf): $46 million
47. Dak Prescott (Football): $46 million
48. Deshaun Watson (Football): $45.8 million
49. Serena Williams (Tennis): $45.3 million
50. Tom Brady (Football): $45.2 million