Greg Norman has the unfortunate reputation of a man who just couldn't quite get it done when the pressure was on. Between 1980 and 1990, he spent almost half of the entire decade ranked as the best golfer in the world on form, but in the final stages of major tournaments his game just fell apart. In a career that should have been full of trophies, all he ever won was two Open Championships, having entered the final day of many other tournaments in the lead, only to collapse and finish second. None of this, though, stopped him making big money.
He has the killer instinct in business that he lacked in golf. The Greg Norman Company has designed over 100 golf courses worldwide, and also manages premier quality restaurants, prime real estate, and even manufactures specialist golfing sunglasses! 'The Great White Shark' is doing just fine financially.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.