[PHOTO: Michael Reaves]
As women’s sports continue to gain in popularity, there are many resulting positive outcomes. One is that there is more money to be made by female athletes. Sportico analysed the data and published a list of the 15 highest-earning female athletes, and Nelly Korda made the top 10, with Jeeno Thitikul and Lydia Ko also making the list.
Sportico looked at both endorsement money and what’s earned by competing (whether it’s salary or winnings) to create its list. Together, the top 15 earned $US221 million, which is 27 percent more than what the top 15 made in 2023. Tennis player Coco Gauff is in the top spot with earnings of $US30.4 million.
Korda ranked No.8 on the list as the only golfer to crack the top 10, with total earnings of $US14.4 million. Her historic 2024 season, in which she won seven times, including five straight, also included key moments when she transcended the golf space. She attended the Met Gala and is being featured in the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, proving she’s not just a golf standout, but a universal star.
On the golf course, Korda earned $US4.4 million. But it was her off-course earnings that vaulted her into the top 10, with Sportico estimating Korda made $US10 million in endorsements. Some of her major sponsors are Nike, Goldman Sachs, Cisco and TaylorMade.
At No.12 on the list is Thailand’s Thitikul, who won only a single event on the tour the LPGA this year, but it happened to be the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. The first prize was a record $US4 million, which took her on-course earnings to $US7.1 million. Sportico reported endorsement deals that add up to $US2 million.
Ko ranked 15th in earnings, with $US3.2 million made on the course in a season in which the Kiwi had three LPGA wins, including the major AIG Women’s Open, while also earning the gold medal in the Olympics. Sportico estimates Ko earned $US3.5 from endorsements.
Of the top 10 earners on the Sportico list, six are tennis players – the exceptions being freestyle skiier Eileen Gu at No.2 ($US22 million), and gymnast Simone Biles and WNBA star Caitlin Clark tied in ninth ($US11.1 million).
