Tiger Woods back on top of the rankings

• World No.351 tops Forbes ‘Fab 40’
• Annual list ranks most valuable individual brands in sport
• Phil Mickelson in second place behind Woods

Tiger Woods is back on top of the rankings – the Forbes ‘Fab 40’ rankings, that is.

Currently sitting 351st on the OWGR, Woods has topped the US magazine’s latest lost of the world’s most valuable sports brands.

The 39-year-old, without a win on the PGA Tour since the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, had a year to forget on the course in 2015, missing the cut or withdrawing in five of his 11 starts and finishing in the top ten only once. He is currently recovering from a second microdiscectomy on his back in the space of 18 months and hopes to return to the tour early in 2015. That combination of injury and loss of form saw the 14-time major winner earn only $448,598 on the course this year.

However, his strong portfolio of endorsements kept him top of the Forbes’ pile. The magazine valued Woods at $30m – down $6m on last year – largely on account of new deals with MusclePharm and Hero MotoCorp.

His long-time PGA Tour rival Phil Mickelson, above, came in second, with basketball star LeBron James and tennis ace Roger Federer sharing third. Mickelson hasn’t won since the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield. He finished joint runner-up at the Masters but ended the season ranked 38th on the PGA Tour money list for the second successive year and slipped to his lowest world ranking in 20 years.

Even so, Forbes valued him at $28m, in part because of the strength of his long-standing association with Callaway Golf.

Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, made his ‘Fab 40’ debut, shooting straight to ninth with a brand value of $12m.

‘FAB 40’ – TOP TEN

1. Tiger Woods, $30m

2. Phil Mickelson, $28.

3. LeBron James, $27m

=. Roger Federer, $27m

5. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, $21m

6. Usain Bolt, $18m

=. Kevin Durant, $18m

8. Cristiano Ronaldo, $16m

9. Rory McIlroy, $12m

10. Floyd Mayweather Jnr, $11.5m

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor