Golf superstar Tiger Woods is the highest-earning American athlete for a sixth year in a row, Sports Illustrated magazine reported on Thursday.

Woods earned US$99.73 million last year, including $7.73 million in prize money and $92 million in various endorsements. Despite earning 22 percent less than his haul of $127.9 million in 2007 because he missed several events after undergoing knee surgery following the U.S. Open in June 2008, Woods still topped the list by a big margin.

From left, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and LeBron James

World No. 2 golfer Phil Mickelson came in second with $52.95 million, and NBA star LeBron James was third with $42.41 million. Alex Rodriguez of the MLB jumped from sixth in 2007 to fourth in 2008 with $39 million, and the NBA's Shaquille O'Neal came in fifth with $35 million.

Among the top 50 earners, 22 played in the NBA, 14 in the MLB, and nine in the NFL. Among non-American athletes, English footballer David Beckham came in first with $45.2 million, followed by Finnish Formula 1 racer Kimi Räikkönen with $40.1 million. The pride of the Philippines, boxer Manny Pacquiao, ranked third with $40 million. Russian tennis beauty Maria Sharapova was the only woman among the top 20 non-American earners, ranking 17th with $21.93 million.