Rory McIlroy may have supplanted Tiger Woods as the No. 1 player in the world, but Woods is still the most dominant brand in the sport, according to a recent study released by Forbes.
According to the report, Woods generated $18.9 million in media value for sponsors Nike and Fuse Science during U.S. TV telecasts in 2012, compared to $12.9 million for McIlroy (Jumeirah, Oakley, Titleist, FootJoy, Audemars Piguet).
“Tiger’s generally strong, consistent play, combined with him simply getting coverage because he is Tiger Woods, generated tremendous value for his sponsors,” said Peter Laatz, an executive for research firm Repucom, who was quoted in the Forbes report.
Phil Mickelson ($11.8 million) was third on the list, followed by Jim Furyk ($8.5M) and Louis Oosthuizen ($8.2M).
In a monthly survey of sports fans, Repucom also found that 45 percent tabbed Woods as one of their three favorites golfers, while Mickelson garnered 42 percent of the vote. McIlroy, meanwhile, was fifth, at 16 percent, behind Bubba Watson (23 percent) and Fred Couples (19 percent).
Said Laatz, according to the report: “McIlroy is an interesting case because he has not caught on as much as one might think with the American public. But he is certainly trending upward.”
