Tiger Woods is the highest-paid athlete in the world for the first time since his sex scandal

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is back on top of the world - in more ways than one.

The iconic golfer returned this year to the world No 1 spot he had held for so long until his self-imposed exile from the game December 2009.

The American has earned $78.1million in the last year. The vast majority of which came from endorsement deals worth $65million and the remaining $13.1million came from winnings. 

And now the 37-year-old is back at the top of Forbes' annual list of the world's 100 highest paid athletes.

Woods was top of the list for 11 consecutive years until 2012, when he was usurped by Swiss tennis star Roger Federer.

This has been a year of rehabilitation for Woods, who has come out from seemingly self-imposed hiding after the fallout from his multiple extramarital affairs surfaced.

Tiger Woods is back on top of the world - in more ways than one. The iconic golfer returned this year to the world No 1 spot he had held for so long until his self-imposed exile from the game December 2009. And now the 37-year-old is back at the top of Forbes' annual list of the world's 100 highest paid athletes. The top ten earning athletes according to Forbes includes (top row left to right) Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Drew Brees. They are followed closely by Aaron Rodgers, Phil Mickelson, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronadlo and Lionel Messi.

With all the massive wages in the Premier League, who is the top flight's richest star?

Wayne Rooney is the richest player in the Barclays Premier League with a personal fortune of £51million, according to the Sunday Times Sport Rich List.The striker, whose wealth has increased from £45m last year, is £9m better off than Manchester United team-mate Rio Ferdinand. Rooney and his wife Coleen are jointly worth £64m.

The striker and Ferdinand are two of 24 current Premier League players among the 100 wealthiest sportsmen in Great Britain and Ireland.David Beckham unsurprisingly tops the lot with a £165m fortune.

Formula One stars Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are also in the top 10 with a fortune of £60m and £58m respectively. Michael Owen (£38m) is third among the Premier League players, ahead of Ryan Giggs and Frank Lampard (both £34m).Six Manchester United players are on the list, including Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Robin van Persie, who is a new entry with £12m.

Steven Gerrard is Liverpool's richest player with a £33m fortune, with Carlos Tevez (£18m) the richest Manchester City player on the list.But their wealth pales in comparison to that of former England captain Beckham, now playing with Paris St Germain, who is the richest sportsman in Britain.

He sits 11th on the Sunday Times World Sport Rich List, which is headed by Tiger Woods, worth £570m.Beckham's joint wealth with wife Victoria is rated at £200m.There are two other footballers on the world top 20, Barcelona's Lionel Messi, worth £125m, and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, worth £120m.The Rich List is based on identifiable wealth, including land, property, other assets such as art and racehorses, or significant shares in publicly quoted companies. It excludes bank accounts.

Golf: Tiger Woods returns to No1 after winning Bay Hill title

Tiger Woods is back on top of the world rankings for the first time since October 2010 after sealing a two-stroke victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.Woods, the defending champion, will climb above Rory McIlroy after celebrating his third PGA Tour title of the season. He shot 70 in the final round which was held over after a storm hit the Bay Hill course on Sunday.

The 37-year-old's challenge was boosted by birdies at every par-five hole as he finished on 13 under par, two shots clear of Justin Rose. Woods's playing partner, Rickie Fowler, came closest to setting up a thrilling climax with three birdies in six holes but a triple-bogey eight at the 16th ended his charge and he was one of four players who finished in a tie for third on eight under.

Woods last won a major title at the US Open in 2008, the year before his marriage imploded. His form on the course suffered in the wake of revelations about his private life and his ranking slipped to 58 in November 2011.