Golfer Greg Norman again tops the rich for top Australian sports earners.January 20, 2010.THE prize money has slowed to a trickle, but golfer Greg Norman is still Australia's top sports earner, with an annual income of about $15 million.
Twice-divorced Norman emerged as the top earner on the BRW Top 50 Sports Earners list thanks mainly to sponsorships, endorsements and his golf course-design company.
Basketballer Andrew Bogut has closed the gap on Norman, making $14 million last year.
In his second year, Bogut makes $US60.5 million ($66 million)in contract extension with US NBA outfit the Milwaukee Bucks.
Soccer star Harry Kewell is third on the BRW list, with a $9.5 million pay packet, mostly from his Turkish club Galatasaray.
Most of Australia's top sports earners make their money overseas, although Test cricket captain Ricky Ponting ($4.26 million) makes the list at number 12. Other cricketers on the list are Brett Lee (15th, $3.52 million), Michael Clarke (21st, $2.54 million), Michael Hussey (41st, $1.39 million) and Andrew Symonds (50th, $1.22 million).
Former V8 Supercars champion Marcos Ambrose rocketed on to the list for the first time, at number seven.
Ambrose collected $5.44 million in earnings from his first full year of driving for the JTG Daugherty Racing team in the US NASCAR series.
Motorsport provided four of the top 10, led by F1 ace Mark Webber in fourth spot with $9 million in earnings, followed by motocross star Chad Reed (fifth, $8.8 million), Ambrose and MotoGP rider Casey Stoner (eighth, $5 million).
Australia's top tennis players, Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur, made the list at 18th and 35th place respectively, with earnings of $2.88 million and $1.53 million.
