Fever rookie Caitlin Clark rocketed to the upper tiers of Sportico's annual highest-paid women's sports athletes report on Wednesday, landing in 10th place with an estimated $11 million in yearly earnings.

With tournaments like the US Open guaranteeing equal purses across men's and women's events, tennis players dominated the findings, accounting for nine of the 15 entries. This includes first-place Coco Gauff, who, with $9.4 million in prizes plus $21 million in endorsements, tops the list for the second year in a row.

Skier Eileen Gu came in second, complementing her individual earnings with the list's highest-estimated endorsement profits at $22 million. Gymnast Simone Biles came in at No. 9 with an estimated $11.1 million in total income.

Golfers Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko also made the cut, mirroring the LPGA Tour's expanded purses.

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Report highlights endorsements in women's sports

The report underlines the continued importance of endorsements in the women's game — particularly within team sports, where many athletes rely on supplemental income to boost relatively small pro salaries.

However, 2024's estimated $221 million in total earnings is up 27% over last year, with 11 athletes making at least $10 million compared to six in 2023.

Highest-paid female athlete US tennis star Coco Gauff poses with her 2024 WTA Finals trophy
Tennis star Coco Gauff is 2024's highest-paid women's sports athlete. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)

Sportico's 15 highest-paid women's sports athletes

1. Coco Gauff: $30.4 million
Prize money: $9.4 million | Endorsements: $21 million

2. Eileen Gu: $22.1 million
Prize money: $62,000 | Endorsements: $22 million

3. Iga Świątek: $21.4 million
Prize money: $8.4 million | Endorsements: $13 million

4. Zheng Qinwen: $20.6 million
Prize money: $5.6 million | Endorsements: $15 million

5. Aryna Sabalenka: $17.7 million
Prize money: $9.7 million | Endorsements: $8 million

6. Naomi Osaka: $15.9 million
Prize money: $870,000 | Endorsements: $15 million

7. Emma Raducanu: $14.7 million
Prize money: $671,000 | Endorsements: $14 million

8. Nelly Korda: $14.4 million
Prize money: $4.4 million | Endorsements: $10 million

9. Simone Biles: $11.1 million
Prize money: $135,000 | Endorsements: $11 million

10. Caitlin Clark: $11.1 million
Salary/bonus: $100,000 | Endorsements: $11 million

11. Jasmine Paolini: $10 million
Prize money: $6.5 million | Endorsements: $3.5 million

12. Jeeno Thitikul: $9.1 million
Prize money: $7.1 million | Endorsements: $2 million

13. Jessica Pegula: $8.2 million
Prize money: $4.2 million | Endorsements: $4 million

14. Elena Rybakina: $7.9 million
Prize money: $3.9 million | Endorsements: $4 million

15. Lydia Ko: $6.7 million
Prize money: $3.2 million | Endorsements: $3.5 million

The 2024 Solheim Cup tees off on Friday, with US golf stars looking to topple three-time defending champs Europe in the team tournament's 19th iteration.

Alternating between European and US host courses each edition, teams compete in three days of match play, collecting one point for every win and a half-point for every tie. The US needs a total of 14.5 points to take this year's Cup outright, while Europe needs just 14 to retain it. 

Team USA spans 12 of the sport's top-ranked and most decorated athletes, including Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz, Lauren Coughlin, Megan Khang, Ally Ewing, Lilia Vu, Rose Zhang, and the soon-to-retire Lexi Thompson.

Team Europe and Team USA pose with the Solheim Cup outside the Robert Trent Jones Gold Club.
No team has won four straight Solheim Cups, a feat three-peat champs Europe will attempt to conquer this weekend. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

US golfers on a mission to reclaim Solheim Cup dominance

Team Europe​ has held the Cup since 2019, but the margins have been razor thin. The 2023 event actually ended in a 14-14 tie, but as reigning champions, Europe retained the title in what the team considers their eighth victory over the US.

While the US holds the advantage over Europe in overall Solheim Cup wins, they haven't raised the trophy in seven years. And unlike other competitions with continuously swelling prize purses, only international bragging rights are on the line here.

Neither team has ever won four consecutive titles, and the US will aim to keep Europe from claiming that historic victory on home soil in Gainesville, Virginia, this weekend.

Team USA's Nelly Korda plays a shot at the 2024 Solheim Cup practice.
World No. 1 golfer Nelly Korda hopes her 2024 season success will help the US take the Solheim Cup this weekend. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Star US golfer Nelly Korda sees Solheim Cup as "unfinished business"

All eyes are now on Team USA's Korda, who's coming off a banner 2024 after winning six different LPGA Tour events, including her second major.

"Whenever you get to wear the red, white, and blue and stars and stripes, there's a different meaning to it," the world No. 1 golfer told the BBC earlier this week. "You're playing not just for yourself, but for your captains, for your teammates, and your country, and there's just nothing like it. We have got some unfinished business."

How to watch the 2024 Solheim Cup women's golf tournament

The Solheim Cup starts Friday, September 13th, at 7:05 AM, with live coverage across NBC, the Golf Channel, and Peacock.

LPGA tour standouts Nelly Korda and Lexi Thompson missed the cut at the US Women’s Open this past weekend as World No. 6 golfer Yuka Saso picked up her second title at the major.

After posting a first-round 80 — which included a 10 on a par-3 — Korda followed it up with a 70 on the second day. The back-to-back disappointments ended the chances for the World No. 1, who had been an overwhelming favorite going into the tournament. 

"I knew it was going to be a tough day," Korda told reporters afterwards. "Try to give it my all, you know that’s what I try to do with every round. I had nothing to lose, and that was my mentality — just kind of go for it."

Joining Korda in missing the cut was longtime US front-runner Lexi Thompson. Thompson was competing in her 18th consecutive US Women’s Open, announcing beforehand that this would be her final season competing professionally.

"Minus the golf, it was amazing," Thompson said of her recent US Women's Open performance. "It wasn’t the golf that I wanted to play, obviously… to see all the fans out there, just to hear their chants, made me smile, every single shot even though I kept on bogeying."

"It’s meant the world to me," she added. "I’m so blessed and grateful for the family that I have… Going into the week I knew it was going to be a big week. To have my family and friends and the amount of fans that were out there this week, that’s what we want."

Fellow American Rose Zhang, ranked No. 6 in the world, was another big name on the cut list. 

For Saso, however, the week was a banner one. At just 22 years old, the Philippine-born Japan national is a two-time major champion, winning both titles at the US Women’s Open. She’s the youngest two-time champion in the event's history.

"I definitely had a little doubt if I can win again," she told reporters following the victory. "It just makes it special because after a long wait — I wasn't expecting to win the US Women's Open. Every time, last time, too, I wasn't expecting it, and this time, too, I wasn't expecting it."

World No. 1 Nelly Korda got off to a career-worst start at the US Women’s Open on Thursday, shooting a 10-over 80. 

A mere three holes into the tournament, the LPGA star carded a 10 on a par-3, watching as her ball rolled into the water three consecutive times.

"Making a 10 on a par-3 will definitely not do you any good at a US Open," Korda told reporters afterwards. "Just a bad day in the office."

With 15 holes to go, Korda said her hope was to keep her score below 80. Instead, she finished with three birdies and six bogeys on the remaining holes. The round marked her second-straight round of 80 in the US Women’s Open after she shot 80 in the final round at Pebble Beach last summer. 

Korda finished the day 12 shots out of the lead, despite entering the tournament as a favorite. She’s won six of her last seven tournaments, including an LPGA record-tying five wins in a row. 

"I just didn't really want to shoot 80," Korda said. "And I just kept making bogeys. My last two rounds in the US Women’s Open have not been good."

And the oft unbeatable Korda had no answers on Thursday. With a projected cut line of +4, she has a lot of ground to make up on Friday should she want to advance to the weekend.

"I’m human. I’m going to have bad days. I played some really solid golf up to this point," she added. "Today was just a bad day. That’s all I can say."

Nelly Korda continued her unprecedented LPGA run on Sunday, winning her sixth tournament in the last seven starts. 

The 25-year-old Florida native took home the title at the Mizuho Americas Open, becoming the first LPGA player to record six wins in a single season since 2013 — and that’s with three majors and a little over half the season left to play.

"Oh, my gosh, six," Korda said after the win. "I can't even really gather myself right now with that, the head-to-head that Hannah and I had pretty much all day. Wasn't my best stuff out there today, but fought really hard on the back nine."

Korda is just the fourth player on tour to win six times before June 1st, joining LPGA Hall of Famers Babe Zaharias (1951), Louise Suggs (1953), and Lorena Ochoa (2008).

Should her victory run continue, Korda could break the current record for single-season wins, currently set at 13 by Mickey Wright in 1963.

Korda ended Sunday's tournament one shot ahead of Hannah Green, finishing the 18th with a par putt to win it all.

"I mean, to lose to Nelly kind of like is — it's sad, but then it's also Nelly Korda," Green said of her second-place finish. "You know, like she's obviously so dominant right now. To feel like second behind her is quite nice. Unfortunately the bogey on the last has a little bit of a sour taste."

Next up is the US Women’s Open, a tournament that Korda has yet to win in her career. 

"Obviously it's on the top of my priority list," she said. "I just know there is never any good when you put more pressure on yourself. Just going to stay in my bubble that week and take it a shot at a time."

Earlier this year, Korda became the fastest player to collect $2 million in prize money over a single season. This latest win earned her an additional $450,000, bringing her season total up to $2,943,708.

Angel Reese celebrated her 22nd birthday in style, turning out for the Met Gala. 

The Chicago Sky rookie wore a custom dress by British label 16Arlington. Reese is just the second WNBA player to ever grace the Met Gala carpet, following Brittney Griner's appearance last year.

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"I’m just excited to see everyone’s outfits. Everyone looks amazing in here. Being here on my 22nd birthday is amazing," Reese told WWD ahead of the event. "I feel beautiful and I feel sexy."

She later took to Twitter, writing that "being able to play the game I love & live my dream in the fashion world all on my 22nd birthday is a blessing."

Reese wasn’t the only women's sports athlete to grace the Met Gala this year. Rolex Women's World Golf Ranking No. 1 Nelly Korda arrived as a guest of Wasserman Media Group chairperson Casey Wasserman, making her the first LPGA golfer to attend the event. Korda wore Oscar de la Renta. 

Former host and red carpet regular Serena Williams showed up in a gold Balenciaga gown. She reunited with tennis great Maria Sharapova at the event, while sister Venus Williams was also in attendance.

This year's Met Gala theme was "Garden of Time."

25-year-old American pro golfer Nelly Korda secured her spot in LPGA history on Sunday, notching her fifth-straight title at this weekend's Chevron Championship in The Woodlands, Texas.

Ranked No. 1 in the world by Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Korda joins Nancy Lopez (1978) and Annika Sörenstam (2005) as just the third LPGA player to rack up five consecutive tour wins. She is also the third No. 1-ranked player to capture The Chevron Championship victory since the rankings debuted in 2006, accompanied by Lorena Ochoa and Lydia Ko.

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The Florida native shot three-under 69 in Sunday's final, besting Sweden's Maja Stark despite Stark's valiant come-from-behind attempt in the 18th. Korda finished with a four-day total of 13-under 275, celebrating her two-stroke win by cannonballing into Poppie's Pond, much to the crowd's delight. She left The Club at Carlton Woods with $1.2 million from an overall purse of $7.9 million.

It wasn't long ago that the two-time major champion's current winning streak seemed unimaginable. After maintaining her No. 1 position for 29 weeks, Korda underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her left arm in 2022. She returned to the course not long after, but failed to win a single tournament in 2023 before seeing a surge in form during the first four months of 2024. As of today, she hasn't lost a tournament since January.

Korda will attempt a record sixth-straight win at next week's JM Eagle LA Championship at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles, where she'll vie for a cut of the $3.75 million purse.

Defending champion Nelly Korda bounced back after a slow start Saturday, making a 22-foot eagle putt on the 18th to secure a one-shot lead heading into the final round at the Meijer LPGA Classic.

Korda fired a 6-under 66 to finish at 18-under 198 at Blythefield Country Club in just her second start back after a prolonged absence from a blood clot in her left arm.

“I’m just happy to be out there playing again,” Korda said. “I’m in contention, but, again, I’ve been in this position before. Thankfully, I can lean on that.”

Fellow American Jennifer Kupcho shot a 69 to fall behind playing partner Korda by one stroke. Kupcho is coming off a landmark victory, securing her first LPGA Tour title in April at Mission Hills.

“The whole top of the leaderboard are all good players,” Kupcho said. “Anything can happen. Anything can happen on the back nine.”

Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson round out the top of the leaderboard, finishing the third round at 15-under and 14-under, respectively.

The Meijer LPGA Classic concludes on Sunday, airing on the Golf Channel starting at 3 p.m. ET.

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. — Nelly Korda walked onto the driving range at Pine Needles Golf Club at 1:20 p.m. on Thursday, an hour ahead of her tee time for her first competitive round in almost four months. A volunteer at the U.S. Women’s Open turned to her before she started her warmup and asked her how she felt after being sidelined since March with a blood clot in her left arm.

“Happy it’s over,” Korda responded.

Three rounds later, Korda is playing like she never left the LPGA Tour. The No. 2 player in the world, despite finishing the third round Saturday with three bogeys in a row, has shot under par in every round of the U.S. Women’s Open. She enters the final round Sunday at four-under and nine shots back of leader Minjee Lee, with much more on her mind than winning.

“I’m just happy to be out here, even though that was a tough pill to swallow,” she said Saturday after her bogey-filled back nine. “I still have one more day, and I’m doing what I love and I’m out here in the heat competing at the U.S. Women’s Open. A couple months back, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be doing that.”

One of the first people Korda told about her uncertain status back in March was close friend Megan Khang. Before Korda announced publicly that she had been diagnosed with a blood clot, and later that she had undergone surgery for it, Khang learned that Korda would be stepping away from the tour. She reminded her friend and the top American golfer on tour that the sport should come second to her health.

During the four-month break, the 23-year-old told Khang she wanted to get back to the course. Khang — who had been spending more time off the course with Korda’s older sister, Jessica, in her absence — encouraged her to return only when she was 100 percent.

“You know Nelly,” Khang said. “She’s a super great competitor. She’s just a different kind of breed in the best way.”

Sophia Popov, a longtime friend of Jessica Korda, could relate to her sister’s situation. The 2020 AIG Women’s Open Champion battled an unknown condition on tour for years, and was finally diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2017. Popov, knowing how hard it is for any golfer at the top of their game to be away from the game for an extended period of time, watched as Korda dedicated herself to her rehab, working out and dieting to return to full strength.

Before the start of Korda’s warmup on the range Thursday, Popov hugged her.

“I just think she’s a staple out here right now,” Popov said of the seven-time LPGA Tour champion. “I think that’s important to keep her around because it’s more exciting to watch.”

The fans at Pine Needles have felt the same way, standing three to four rows deep along the ropes during Korda’s three rounds. She said the crowds following her were some of the biggest she’d seen on tour, and that the youngest supporters have brought her some of her greatest joys this weekend.

“I really, really love when the little kids and little girls kind of scream my name,” she said. “Some of them even ask me for an autograph during the round, and I just can’t say no. I’m just so happy to be out here.”

Korda’s fans range from teens gleefully taking selfies with her in the background, to young kids getting their first autographs from one of their favorite athletes. They will surely be watching as the 23-year-old aims to climb the leaderboard Sunday and punctuate her return to the tour.

“Nelly’s competing like she never left. It’s always great to see,” Khang said. “And as a friend, I’m super happy she’s feeling healthy and back up for the challenge week in and week out.”

Kent Paisley is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering golf and the LPGA. He also contributes to Golf Digest. Follow him on Twitter @KentPaisley.

Nelly Korda appears ready to make her return to the LPGA Tour after the American star underwent surgery for a blood clot in her left arm.

The 23-year-old posted Friday to her Instagram, tagging the U.S. Women’s Open with this message: “See you guys next week.”

Korda announced in April she had undergone successful surgery for the blood clot, which was discovered in March in her subclavian vein.

The Olympic gold medalist last competed in February at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Crown Colon, where she finished 15th.

Korda is coming off a banner 2021 season, where she captured four titles, including her first major title at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.