Tiger Woods topped the 2004 Forbes List of the World’s Richest Athletes, making nearly $77 million a year—with $70 million of that coming from endorsements.

In the golf world, Phil Mickelson comes in a distant second, taking in about $20 million yearly from Ford, Rolex, Bearing Point and Callaway. BusinessWeek writes that his image as a wholesome family man (he travels with strollers and kiddie car seats) makes him a marketer’s dream. Its a good article with lots of insight into the business end of golf.

Just for the record, here’s the 2004 Forbes List of the World’s Richest Athletes.

  1. Tiger Woods
  2. Michael Schumacher
  3. Peyton Manning
  4. Michael Jordan
  5. Shaquille O’Neal
  6. Kevin Garnett
  7. Andre Agassi
  8. David Beckham
  9. Alex Rodriguez
  10. Kobe Bryant

I was surprised to see Michael Schumacher on the list, but I’m told by my father-in-law (an autoracing fanatic) that he’s practically a god in Europe.

In local golf news—ok, not so local, but it is Michigan—the Saginaw News is reporting that a new year-round golf center will soon begin construction in that city.

The center will feature a fitness center, heated tees and short game practice areas. But no dome (apparently).

It’s probably good to skip the dome. A few years ago, the inflatable dome in Auburn Hills collapsed in the high winds. Heated tees should be enough to satisfy the avid golfer. I regularly use a local heated tee in sub-freezing weather.