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Two of Australia’s best golfers have been named in the top 100 list of Most Marketable Athletes for 2022.
Minjee Lee came in at No. 63 on the list and Cameron Smith at No. 98.
Footballer Sam Kerr (9) was the top Australian, and another footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo came in at No. 1.
Only six golfers, headed by Rory McIlroy and No. 48, made the annual list compiled by SportsPro, a London-based company which has compiled an annual list for the past 13 years.
Minjee Lee this year won the biggest prize in women’s golf, the US Women’s Open, and now has two major championships to her name at age 25.
Smith won both the Players Championship and the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews, and both Australians rose to No. 2 world rankings during 2022. Lee, who resumes playing on the LPGA Tour in South Korea this week, is within touching distance of a world No. 1 ranking with the balance of the season to be played over the next few weeks.
Both have inspired a strong rise in junior participation in golf over the past year with their professionalism and personality.
SportsPro’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes enables sports marketers across the globe to make intelligent sponsorship and investment decisions quickly.
The ranking considers the dynamic nature of athlete marketability in the digital age, applying an advanced science that goes beyond vanity metrics to measure which sports stars offer the most value to brands today.
SportsPro said of its list: “With a view to building the most complete picture of athlete marketability in the sports industry, it combines on-field performance and off-field factors, bringing a new focus on the triple bottom line and a fresh take on what it means to be marketable in the digital age.
“In doing so, this year’s list seeks to identify and reflect the key trends, shifts in consumer perception and the most relevant societal values that contribute towards the marketability of an athlete today, such as authenticity, gender equality, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability.”
GOLFERS IN THE MOST MARKETABLE LIST
48 Rory McIlroy
62 Nelly Korda
63 Minjee Lee
77 Scottie Scheffler
89 Jin Young Ko
98 Cameron Smith
