Paul Goydos doesn’t need big endorsement deals

Endorsement deals mean big money.

Fortune Magazine reported on the top 10 endorsement superstars, revealing what some of today’s biggest athletes took home last year in exchange for shameless plugs for corporations.

The magazine had golf phenom Tiger Woods at No. 1 reportedly earning $100 million in deals from Nike, TagHeuer and Buick. Woods has his own line of clothing and apparel with Nike, from the “TW” hats to the dry-fit shirts with the Tiger Woods mini, metal tag on the left sleeve.

That’s a lot of money, and that doesn’t even include his earnings from the tournaments he wins.

The world’s No. 2 golfer, Phil Mickelson, comes in a very distant second at $47 million in endorsements from Rolex to Callaway.

Hawai‘i’s own Michelle Wie ranked fifth on the list at $19.5 million, and she hasn’t been any good at golf in a while. Still, companies like Sony, Nike and watch makers Omega think she’s marketable.

And I have no problem with that. I have no issues with how people decide to make their money. I kind of wish I was one of those lucky people to get some sort of multi-million dollar deal. Everyone’s about making money right?

Not so.

Paul Goydos, who lost to Sergio Garcia in a playoff at the recent Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, reportedly turned down a six-figure, endorsement deal to wear a sponsor’s cap.

The 43-year-old former substitute teacher and single parent to two teenaged daughters gained much attention for his performance at TPC that the phone started ringing.

Goydos had only won twice on the tour — most recently the Sony Open at the Waialae Country Club last year — and has never cracked the PGA Tour’s Top 20 money list.

He has no endorsement deals. Even the young Tadd Fujikawa has endorsement deals.

So at the Player’s, Goydos sported a Long Beach State hat with the nickname “Dirtbags” on its bill. Because he was doing so well, someone offered him money to trade in his hat and wear one of theirs.

I have to give him props for saying no. I’d do it. If I were on the golf course and someone offered me six figures to trade in my Burberry plaid golf hat, I would say: “Hat, what hat? Whose Burberry? Hook it up,” and sign in an instant.

I’d would not only wear the hat on the course, but if they wanted me to, I’d wear it shopping and to and from work. To quote Cuba Gooding Jr.’s character Rod Tidwell from the 1996 film “Jerry Maguire,” “Show me the money.”

I’m exaggerating, of course, but you get the idea.

I have to tip my hat to Goydos, though. He turned down the deal because he said that there was sentimental value to his hat and he didn’t want to mess with karma.

Goydos is from Long Beach, Calif. His father was a teacher there and he was doing so well in the tournament that he didn’t want to break his streak.

I guess this is a good moral lesson that’s life is not just about the money. It’s about personal preference and feeling good about one’s self.

Good for you, Paul Goydos. Endorsement deal or not, Goydos still took home serious pocket change. He earned $1.026 million for his second-place finish to Garcia.

I’d say that’s still pretty good.