Rolex has been announced as a major partner of the PGA of Australia, stepping in as the Official Timekeeper for the BMW Australian PGA Championship. The Swiss watchmaker will also support the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia and the WPGA Tour of Australasia.
This partnership arrives at a moment of significant change for the PGA of Australia, which is following global trends towards a more commercially driven model.
The PGA of Australia’s move to align with Rolex is part of a broader strategy to bring in fresh capital and elevate the profile of its events. This shift mirrors the recent overhaul of the PGA Tour in the U.S., where the launch of PGA Tour Enterprises and a $1.5 billion investment from Strategic Sports Group marked a turning point from the traditional non-profit model.
Rolex’s iconic clocks will now feature prominently at Royal Queensland during the BMW Australian PGA Championship this November. The partnership strengthens the link between Rolex and professional golf, a connection the brand has fostered for nearly six decades.
Gavin Kirkman, CEO of the PGA of Australia, welcomed the new partnership, stating that Rolex has a “rich history in our sport” and shares a vision for its future.
“We are delighted to welcome Rolex as a Major Partner of the PGA of Australia; our premier tournament, the BMW Australian PGA Championship; and our tours which are producing the new generation of stars. Rolex is synonymous with golf with a rich history in our sport, and through Major championships around the world, that dates back almost six decades,” Kirkham said.
Rolex, meanwhile, sees this partnership as an opportunity to deepen its already extensive involvement in golf. The brand, which counts Australian champions Adam Scott and Jason Day among its ambassadors, has been synonymous with some of the most prestigious tournaments and moments in golf history.
The Swiss watchmaker also counts among its Testimonees several of the world’s highest-paid golfers, including Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Phil Mickelson.
THE WORLD’S 10 HIGHEST-PAID GOLFERS 2024
No. 1 • $218 million
Jon Rahm
On-Course: $198 million | Off-Course: $20 million | Age: 29 | Tour: LIV |
Much like many of his LIV compatriots, Rahm’s move to the upstart league cost him a slew of sponsors. In July, he signed a multi-year extension with digital supply chain firm Blue Yonder, having previously worn their logo on his chest. However, the partnership is no longer active and he now wears the logo of his LIV team, Legion XIII, in that spot. Rahm will not compete in the U.S. Open this weekend due to a foot injury.
No. 2 • $83 million
Rory McIlroy
On-Course: $38 million | Off-Course: $45 million | Age: 35 | Tour: PGA
One of the PGA Tour’s most outspoken supporters since the arrival of LIV Golf, McIlroy recently lamented how the division have played out. “In hindsight, I wish I hadn’t have gotten as deeply involved in it,” he told reporters last month. The ongoing tour drama hasn’t stopped his momentum off the course, though. McIlroy cofounded TMRW Sports with Tiger Woods and sports executive Mike McCarley, which plans to launch a stadium-based, virtual golf league in 2025, while his Symphony Ventures has invested in companies like Puttery, Hyperice and Whoop.
No. 3 • $67 million
Tiger Woods
On-Course: $12 million | Off-Course: $55 million | Age: 48 | Tour: PGA | Rolex Testimonee
Woods may no longer be the Major-winning machine he once was, but he still found a way to break another record this year. In April, he made the cut at the Masters for the 24th consecutive time, passing Gary Player and Fred Couples. Unfortunately, his pursuit of a sixth green jacket came up far short. Woods finished 60th at Augusta.
No. 4 • $61 million
Scottie Scheffler
On-Course: $41 million | Off-Course: $20 million | Age: 27 | Tour: PGA
Scheffler currently has a vice grip on the World Golf Ranking’s No. 1 spot. His only blemish in 2024 was a traffic-related incident while on the way to the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club that resulted in the alleged assault of a Louisville police officer and Scheffler’s subsequent arrest. The charges were dropped two weeks later, though he told reporters he’s still struggling with the incident. “It’s not something that I love reliving, just because it was fairly traumatic for me being arrested going into the golf course.”
No. 5 • $47 million
Cameron Smith
On-Course: $43 million | Off-Course: $4 million | Age: 30 | Tour: LIV
Smith may have received a reported $100 million guarantee to join LIV Golf, but his time with the upstart tour has been far more lucrative on the course than a decade spent competing in PGA Tour events and Majors. In three seasons, the 2022 British Open Champion has won just shy of $40 million in prize money with LIV, according to Spotrac, roughly $5 million more than his career total on the PGA Tour.
No. 6 • $44 million
Bryson DeChambeau
On-Course: $43 million | Off-Course: $1 million | Age: 30 | Tour: LIV
DeChambeau may not have the endorsement portfolio he once had, a list that once included Cobra Puma Golf, Bridgestone and Rocket Mortgage, among others. But his lighter sponsorship load has opened other opportunities, such as growing his YouTube presence. DeChambeau’s channel now has more than 670,000 subscribers and over 76 million views, with a nine-hole match between DeChambeau and Mickelson scoring 2.6 million views alone.
No. 7 • $43 million
Brooks Koepka
On-Course: $35 million | Off-Course: $8 million | Age: 34 | Tour: LIV
Koepka celebrated his 34th birthday last month by winning the fourth LIV Golf event of his career at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore, which made him the career leader in titles on the nascent tour. He also remains the only golfer to win a Major under the LIV banner, with a victory at the 2023 PGA Championship. Off the course, Koepka has partnerships with Nike, Srixon and NetJets.
No. 8 • $40 million
Viktor Hovland
On-Course: $33 million | Off-Course: $7 million | Age: 26 | Tour: PGA
Hovland is still chasing his first Major title and he’s come achingly close, finishing second to Koepka at the PGA Championship last year. In the meantime, he has plenty to celebrate. Hovland secured the FedEx Cup crown in 2023, which came with an $18 million bonus.
No. 9 • $38 million
Phil Mickelson
On-Course: $36 million | Off-Course: $2 million | Age: 53 | Tour: LIV
Mickelson has earned more than $1 billion in his golf career, becoming the second player, after Woods, to surpass that mark. However, his ability to spend has become equally infamous. The 53-year-old allegedly bet more than $1 billion over the past three decades, with losses reaching as much as $100 million, according to a book written by renowned professional gambler Billy Walters. Off the course, Mickelson has become significantly less active since joining LIV, but he did cofound coffee company For Wellness in 2020.
No. 10 • $37 million
Dustin Johnson
On-Course: $32 million | Off-Course: $5 million | Age: 39 | Tour: LIV
Johnson gave a simple explanation for why he joined LIV Golf. “Play less golf, play for more money—it just made sense,” he told Forbes in 2022. The two-time Major winner hasn’t quite earned the roughly $75 million he did in his PGA Tour career yet, but with $56 million in LIV prize money, according to Spotrac, and a reported guarantee of $125 million, he’s not exactly hurting for cash. The 39-year-old also recently joined a slew of legendary athletes, including Derek Jeter, Serena Williams and Michael Strahan, as an investor in Cincoro Tequila.
This list was first published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
