Tiger Woods is going to be the first billion-dollar athlete. A billion dollars, man. For a golfer. Player paused to contemplate the thought. The sponsors are paying it, so he must be worth it.
Money earns money on all fronts for Woods.
Chicago fans will get a chance to see the heir apparent to Michael Jordan's marketing machine when Woods defends his title at the Advil Western Open beginning Thursday at Cog Hill in Lemont. To the victors go the spoils. And Tiger is going to knock it down. Indeed, the riches accumulated by Jordan are likely to look like pocket change by the time Woods is done. Given his youth and earning power, Woods would seem to be a virtual lock to build a billion-dollar bank account.