It is no surprise that the most paid athlete Tiger Woods bounced back with a brilliant victory securing the 2006 British open at Royal Liverpool. Woods first pro prize money was for under $3000 in 1996 but he earns slightly more now !

Tiger Woods wife was there to share his glory but sadly his father who recently passed away missed his third British Open victory and eleventh major as he edged closer to Jacks record haul of majors.

When you look at Tiger Woods swing sequence it is clear he commits to every swing and when under pressure he proves why he is the most paid athlete in the world as he steps up a gear and simply oozes class. Woods rarely shows emotion but it was clear that when he tapped in at the last home that he was thinking of his mentor, his late father who was such a big influence throughout his career.

Even more remarkable was that Woods driver stayed in his bag and he played with long irons off the tee. The impressive Chris Di Marco got close but Woods again showed his class as he played almost flawless golf to come in at eighteen under par.

Since turning pro in 1996 Tiger Woods has won millions of dollar but his other income is pretty impressive with big name endorsements from Nike . You may be thinking, what house would the most paid athlete in the world live in ? Well hes only just purchased a $40 million home on Jupiter Island, Florida !

Forbes magazine named Tiger Woods the most paid athlete of 2006 well ahead of athletes such as David Beckham and Lance Armstrong. With Tiger just entering his prime it is safe to say he will still be one of the top earning athletes for years to come !