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How Golfers Get Paid, Including How Much Pros the Pros Make

• DESCRIPTION Sam Burns poses after winning the "Schwab" Firebird
• SOURCE Tom Pennington
• PERMISSION Getty Image License

For the top golfers in the world there is serious money to be earned, but dissecting how much professional golfers make and how they earn it is tricky. The better the player, the more options that present themselves, but all players in a tournament field have the same chance of winning a big check. This article details how professional golfers make money with some fun financial details that might make you rethink your career choice.

Many golfers who pick up their clubs and muddle through a round of 18 holes can't fathom the idea of ever being good enough to get paid to play as a professional golfer. There are less than 3,000 touring pros on the major tours around the world, but those who are good enough to become household names can make millions of dollars--and not just from prize money.

Do Professional Golfers Earn Salary?

In most professional sports, an athlete signs a contract and earns a combination of a salary and a signing bonus. They are employees of the team and receive a W2, just like many of us, when tax time rolls around. The PGA Tour, however, considers its players to be independent contractors. Players who earn tens of millions of dollars receive a 1099 tax form, which is amazing in itself.

Paying for all expenses related to your job comes with being an independent contractor. This means professional golfers pay for their airfare, meals, lodging, tournament entry, and more. Multiply many of those costs by two to pay for a caddie. For the most successful players on tour, these expenses aren’t as much of a worry for reasons we’ll detail below. For players who are struggling to keep their tour status, these expenses only magnify the pressure to make cuts and finish high on leaderboards.

Average Earning on Tour

According to pgatour.com , the average PGA Tour player earned just under $1.5 million in 2021. That number spans from that year’s money leader, Jon Rahm, who earned a cool $7,705,933 million, to the PGA Tour’s 250th place earner, Parker McLachlin, who earned $6,090.

2021 was a monumental year in that the top four players earned over $7 million (Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau, and Collin Morikawa).

Purse and Winning Share

Each PGA Tour event has a purse, which is the total amount of money paid out to the field of players. The tournament then pays each individual player by the order in which they finished.

The average PGA Tour purse for 2022 is $9.1 million. The Player’s Championship offers the largest payout on tour with a total purse of $20 million. Cameron Smith’s win in 2022 earned him a staggering $3.6 million for that event alone.

How Pros Earn Money

Now that we have some baseline information, let’s take a deeper look into how professional golfers get paid.

Tournaments

As detailed above, professional golfers make their biggest financial gains by competing in tournaments. The winner’s share is typically 18 percent of the total purse and a top-20 or top-10 finish secures a healthy payday.

Players who compete in events like the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup are not compensated, and thus, if they’re a part of the winning team they do not win prize money. In fact, those players pay their own expenses to compete in the event.

In recent years, The Match has become a popular televised golf event that takes place around Thanksgiving. The 2021 edition featured Brooks Koepka against Bryson DeChambeau. Neither player was paid to compete in the event and both Koepka and DeChambeau donated their “winnings” to charity as has become the norm with the event.

Endorsement Deals

In many ways, professional golfers survive and thrive on endorsement deals. The possibilities of what a professional golfer can endorse are seemingly endless. Some examples of industries represented by professional golfers include:

• Golf Equipment
• Financial Businesses
• Auto Manufacturers
• Medical Businesses
• Technology Companies

As sports betting becomes more mainstream, you can find professional golfers like Jordan Spieth representing brands like FanDuel.

A large part of the endorsement deal for a professional golfer includes logo placement and visibility. For example, a company will pay a player a premium to have its logo on their hat or the chest of their golf shirt, which is reported to run as high as $500,000. Golf bag logo placement is also a premium location and even caddies can earn some extra money by wearing a sponsored hat or a logo on their shirt sleeve.

Using Tiger Woods as the ultimate example, he earned less than $200,000 on the PGA Tour in 2021 due to injuries. Yet, TIger managed to earn nearly $62 million that year due to his lofty endorsement deals with Nike, TaylorMade, Bridgestone, Take-Two Interactive Software, Hero MotoCorp, and more.

Larger equipment companies such as Titleist are known to have a base amount for new players of around $200,000. The incentives and actual details, however, are rarely disclosed. DeChambeau took up a dual sponsorship with Cobra-Puma in 2016 so he earns from exclusively playing Cobra equipment and wearing Puma apparel. Similar contracts are drawn up for Titleist and its sister brand, FootJoy.

Appearances

Depending on the endorsement deal, a player may be obligated to attend a certain number of events throughout the year. For a player like Morikawa, whose sponsors include Omega and Cadillac, this can include appearing at company meetings, golf outings, and more.

Players who don’t have the top lucrative deals are free to earn as they please when it comes to appearances. Companies can contact the player’s agent and arrange for them to attend an array of events from black-tie dinners to company outings.

According to allamericanspeakers.com , even players such as Jim Furyk and Fred Couples earn $10,000 or more to attend a single event today.

Player Impact Program

New for 2021 was the Player Impact Program, in which the PGA Tour paid players for their impact on social media and surrounding platforms. The PIP was a hot topic because the PGA Tour did not provide a clear formula as to how individuals could win the prize money. In the end, the payout amounted to $40 million dollars spread across the top-10 finishers and it was reported to include aspects such as television coverage, social media, and internet searches, among others. Here is how the inaugural payout went in 2021.

1. Tiger Woods ($8 million)

2. Phil Mickelson ($6 million)

3. Rory McIlroy ($3.5 million)

4. Jordan Spieth ($3.5 million)

5. Bryson DeChambeau ($3.5 million)

6. Justin Thomas ($3.5 million)

7. Dustin Johnson ($3 million)

8. Brooks Koepka ($3 million)

9. Jon Rahm ($3 million)

10. Bubba Watson ($3 million)

The PGA Tour announced that the 2022 PIP would be increased to $50 million dollars. This has added a new revenue stream for PGA Tour players.

How Much Money Does the PGA Tour Make?

• DESCRIPTION 2019 PGA Tour IRS Form 990 showing over $72 million in net income
• SOURCE https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/520999206

In 2019, the PGA Tour reported a net income of $72,772,574 with total revenue of over $1.5 billion and over $1.4 billion in operating costs. With revenue in the billions, there’s no denying that the PGA Tour is a big business. Here are a few of the highlights from the PGA Tour’s 2019 balance sheet.

Jay Monahan's Salary

• DESCRIPTION Jay Monahan grins during a press conference
• SOURCE Gregory Shamus

As the Commissioner of the PGA Tour, Jay Monahan earns a hefty $5,378,295 salary as of 2019. His pay went up each year since he took over the role in 2017 through 2019, the most recent year with financial data. For comparison, if Monahan's 2019 salary were included on the 2019 official PGA Tour money list , he would have ranked eighth, between Dustin Johnson, who finished seventh with $5,534,619, and Justin Thomas who won $5,013,084. 

Comparatively Speaking

Let’s take a look at the reported net worth of several top-name PGA Tour players compared to some other big names in the world of sports. The information on this list was obtained from celebritynetworth.com .

LPGA Statistics

The LPGA has come a long way not only in popularity but also in the amount of money professionals earn on and off the course. Here are some statistics from 2021 according to lpga.com .

• The average on-course earning for an LPGA professional in 2021 was just under $142,000.
• Jin Young Ko led the LPGA in money with a total of $3,502,161
• The five players below Jin Young Ko all cleared over $1.5 million dollars (Nelly Korda, Nasa Hataoka, Minjee Lee, Lydia Ko, and Yuka Saso).
• The LPGA saw a massive jump in total purse money for 2022, up from $76 million to $87 million for the year.
• The largest single event purse for the LPGA in 2022 is the U.S. Women’s Open at $10 million.

No matter how you look at it, getting into the world of professional golf takes immense talent and dedication. Once you reach the big show, however, nothing is guaranteed and you need to produce results in order to continue your journey. For the top players in the world, golf as a job seems to be a dream come true, but it’s all about sustainability.

PGA TOUR Player Stats 2024

• Statistics are updated nightly
• AGE : Current age of player
• EARNINGS : Official money won
• CUP : FedExCup Points
• EVNTS : Tournaments played
• RNDS : Rounds played
• CUTS : Cuts made
• TOP10 : Top 10 finishes
• WINS : Wins
• SCORE : Scoring average per round
• DDIS : Driving distance (in yards)
• DACC : Driving accuracy %
• GIR : Greens In Regulation %
• PUTTS : Putts per hole
• SAND : Save Percentage
• BIRDS : Birdies per round
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2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship prize money payouts for each PGA Tour player at TPC Southwind

H aving already become a $50-million man earlier this season, Hideki Matsuyama didn’t waste much time eclipsing $55 million in career earnings.

The Japanese star is walking away from Memphis with $3.6 million for shooting 17-under 263 at TPC Southwind and winning the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship out of the $20 million purse for the first of three playoff events.

The top of the leaderboard was stacked with big names with Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland sharing second place and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finishing alone in fourth. Sam Burns and Nick Dunlap tied for fifth.

Here’s a look at how much each of the players in the 70-man field with no cut earned this week.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship prize money payouts for each PGA Tour player at TPC Southwind

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• Highest money earners on the PGA tour 2022

Professional golfers with the most money earned on the PGA tour in the 2022 season (in million U.S. dollars)

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2023 Players Championship prize money, purse: Payout, winner's share, $25 million breakdown at TPC Sawgrass

Big stakes and big money were on the line at the pga tour's flagship event.

The 2023 Players Championship may not be the biggest victory of Scottie Scheffler's career, but it will mark his most significant payday. The new No. 1 golfer in the world collected $4.5 million for his dominating effort at TPC Sawgrass this week, surpassing his previous largest check from the 2022 Masters.

Scheffler cruised to victory Sunday and appeared unbothered when his counterparts made runs at his title. One of the biggest movers from the final day in Ponte Vedra, Florida, was Tyrrell Hatton. The Englishman began the final round in a tie for 26th nine strokes behind Scheffler, and while he was unable to catch the champion, Hatton's 7-under 65 was enough to secure the runner-up's check of $2.725 million.

Scheffler and Hatton are two of the six players that will collect seven figures. A player who will not be cashing north of a million is Taylor Montgomery. Playing Nos. 15-17 in a combined 7 over, the front-runner for PGA Tour Rookie of the Year dropped from a tie for fourth to a tie for 44th, losing more than $900,000 in the process.

In total, the top 35 finishers of the Players Championship collected at least six figures with those inside the top 12 cashing more than $500,000. While Scheffler may have been the lone man to raise the trophy, he was hardly the only winner at the PGA Tour's flagship event.

2023 Players Championship prize money, purse

Total purse: $25 million.

1st (Winner): $4,500,000 -- Scottie Scheffler 2nd: $2,725,000 -- Tyrrell Hatton 3rd: $1,725,000 -- Viktor Hovland, Tom Hoge ($1.475 million each) 4th: $1,225,000 5th: $1,025,000 -- Hideki Matsuyama 6th: $906,250 -- Min Woo Lee, Max Homa, Justin Suh, Justin Rose, David Lingmerth, Sungjae Im, Cam Davis ($736,607 each) 7th: $843,750  8th: $781,250 9th: $731,250 10th: $681,250 11th: $631,250 12th: $581,250 13th: $531,250 -- Collin Morikawa, Adam Svensson, Adam Hadwin, Rickie Fowler, Denny McCarthy, Christiaan Bezuidenhout ($447,917 each) 14th: $481,250 15th: $456,250 16th: $431,250 17th: $406,250 18th: $381,250 19th: $356,250 -- Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Tony Finau, Brandon Wu, Jason Day, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, Aaron Rai ($275,000 each) 20th: $331,250 21st: $306,250 22nd: $281,250 23rd: $261,250 24th: $241,250 25th: $221,250 26th: $201,250 27th: $193,750 -- Eric Cole, Brendon Todd, Danny Willett, Ryan Fox, Wyndham Clark, Si Woo Kim, Chad Ramey, Tommy Fleetwood ($167,656 each) 28th: $186,250 29th: $178,750 30th: $171,250 31st: $163,750 32nd: $156,250 33rd: $148,750 34th: $142,500 35th: $136,250 -- Shane Lowry, Keith Mitchell, Austin Smotherman, Sam Burns, Mark Hubbard, Byeong Hun An, Ben Griffin, Taylor Moore, Dylan Wu ($114,167 each) 36th: $130,000 37th: $123,750 38th: $118,750 39th: $113,750 40th: $108,750 41st: $103,750 42nd: $98,750 43rd: $93,750 44th: $88,750: Chesson Hadley, Stephan Jaegar, Sam Ryder, Brian Harman, Kramer Hickok, Garrick Higgo, Taylor Montgomery ($75,036 each) 46th: $78,750 47th: $73,750 48th: $69,750 49th: $66,250 50th: $64,250 51st: $62,750 -- Tom Kim, Lucas Glover, Cameron Young ($61,417 each) 52nd: $61,250 53rd: $60,250 54th: $59,250 -- Ben Martin, Matthias Schwab, Jerry Kelly, Will Gordon, Gary Woodland, Tyler Duncan ($58,000 each) 55th: $58,750 56th: $58,250 57th: $57,750 58th: $57,250 59th: $56,750 60th: $56,250 -- Justin Thomas, Joel Dahmen, Maverick McNealy, Nate Lashley, Francesco Molinari ($55,250 each) 61st: $55,750 62nd: $55,250 63rd: $54,750 64th: $54,250 65th: $53,750 -- Sepp Straka, Patton Kizzire, Alex Smalley ($53,250 each) 66th: $53,250 67th: $52,750 68th: $52,250 -- Davis Thompson 69th: $51,750 -- Scott Stallings, Taylor Pendrith 70th: $51,250 71st: $50,750 -- Adam Scott 72nd: $50,250 -- Aaron Baddeley 73rd: $49,750 -- Will Zalatoris 74th: $49,250 -- Sahith Theegala 75th: $48,750 -- Kevin Kisner

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How much is PGA Tour loyalty actually worth? Pros find out this week

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Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler wait on a tee box during The Sentry earlier this year.

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The official word arrived on the last day of January, but it was not exactly news. The PGA Tour had finalized a deal with the Strategic Sports Group for an immediate investment of $1.5 billion into a new, for-profit entity named PGA Tour Enterprises. The names involved were not new — the likes of Steve Cohen, John Henry, Fenway Sports Group, etc., had been reportedly interested for months — but one major addendum was: an equity program.

Now, about three months after the announcement, PGA Tour players are about to find out what their loyalty has been worth. On Wednesday, Tour members will receive an email notifying them of the current value of award grants this program has earmarked for them, be it tens of millions of dollars, or none at all. The 193 eligible recipients will receive a letter from Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who is the CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, explaining the number of equity units they receive and the fair market value of said equity. The Tour intends to keep the list of award recipients confidential.

“It’s really about making sure that our players know the PGA Tour is the best place to compete and showing them how much the Tour appreciates them being loyal,” Jason Gore, the Tour’s chief player officer, said in one of six informational videos the Tour produced for the membership. The videos, which were shared internally with Tour pros and their representatives, were accompanied by infographics, all of which were reviewed by GOLF.com.

In the age of LIV Golf offering mega-millions in contracts to elite golfers, these figures matter, particularly for PGA Tour loyalists who passed on lucrative guaranteed contracts that would be worth more than PGA Tour Enterprises equity could ever offer them.

How much players decide to talk about their individual equity will be up to them, but as you will read below, the total value of each grant differ by player. On the day that specific criteria was announced, it was a hot topic among players.

Which equity group am I in? Wait, which equity group is he in? 

So, how does it work? 

The Tour has announced these equity grants under one specific word: opportunity. Xander Schauffele will not receive a life-size, $50 million check. Players will not see their bank account immediately increase. (In fact, as we’ll explain below, it will take quite some time before that happens.) They will strictly receive a capital interest award for a specific piece of PGA Tour Enterprises. Based on a myriad of factors, players will be ranked via a specific number of “membership units,” akin to stake in a company, the value of which will vest over a specific amount of time. High-performing players will receive a greater stake in PGA Tour Enterprises, which will be home to the Tour’s commercial operations. That’s where SSG’s money is going, which they hope will increase in value of over time. 

How much value are we talking? 

Even if 193 players receive grants, they will not be shared equally. Nick Taylor and Tiger Woods are not going to receive the same cut. The recipients are sectioned into four groups, with Group 1 seeing $750 million in value doled out to 36 players. That’s a little more than 80% of the prize going to just a few dozen pros, which grabbed headlines when it was first reported . In this group will be the kind of players who have rated well in the Player Impact Program, won many tournaments, and won important tournaments — like Signature Events or player-hosted invitationals — with an emphasis on the last five years. 

Why should players own the PGA Tour? This guy knows better than most

A major factor in determining who is in Group 1 and who isn’t was a metric called Career Points, which emphasizes consistency as a Tour member and success throughout a player’s career. Players receive points based on the amount of years they were a PGA Tour member (playing in 15+ events), the amount of times they reached the Tour Championship, their amount of official Tour victories and even extra points for prominent victories (majors, Players Championships, WGCs, FedEx Cup titles, etc.). 

For example, some back-of-the-envelope math tallies up 528 Career Points for Woods, and just 199 for Rory McIlroy. Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have both accrued a similar number just shy of 100. All four players are expected to be part of Group 1 and will all receive significant awards, but the difference in Career Points is expected to derive some difference in the value. Bottom line: Woods will receive the greatest grant valuation (potentially by a wide margin) and McIlroy’s will be second.

What if you’re not a premier player? 

The PGA Tour is successful because of those top 36 players, but it is rooted in the existence of many other members who back-fill the fields of the biggest stages in golf, week-in and week-out. An extra $75 million of value will be issued to a total of 64 players considered “steady performers and up-and-comers.” The individual totals of those grants will pale in comparison to the Group 1 grants, and will be based on FedEx Cup points earned over the last three years. Finally, Group 3 members, a total of 57 players, will earn from a pile of $30 million based on tournaments won, career money and number of times finishing in the top 125 of the FedEx Cup. And Group 4 members, who are considered “past legends,” will see 36 players receive their share of $75 million in equity based, again, on Career Points. 

Recipients must be ELIGIBLE

This rules out LIV golfers from earning any of the initial grants, despite some of them helping build the Tour into what it is today. In an alternate universe, Phil Mickelson would have earned the second-highest award grant (behind only Woods), but he will receive nothing because he is not eligible. He is a lifetime member of the PGA Tour but has incurred hefty suspensions from his involvement with LIV Golf. (It is worth wondering: Does this injection of investment and new, for-profit company exist without Mickelson’s help forming LIV Golf? Probably not.)

Even in a world where the PGA Tour comes to an agreement with the Saudi PIF on further investment, this chunk of value will be earmarked for the 193 players who built the popularity of the Tour and continue deriving future value for it, all while remaining loyal. Does it include space for a grant for players like Chesson Hadley, who last June stated he would like to be rewarded for his decision to stay loyal? Hadley has won zero times in the last decade, so he would be hoping for one of the 57 Group 3 grants, which isn’t necessarily likely.

Another important point of eligibility is that recipients must be living. Thirty-six players will receive “Past legends” grants, which cannot be awarded posthumously. Jack Nicklaus is bound to receive a grant. Arnold Palmer cannot.

Players must WORK to receive their grant value

It’s going to be a long time before any Tour players receive the monetary value from these equity grants. The initial grants will vest on an eight-year timeline with multiple checkpoints: 50% of the grant value will vest after four years, with an extra 25% vesting after six years and the final 25% vesting after eight years, but only if players follow the rules. In a world where the PGA Tour and the Saudi PIF do not come to an agreement, Tour players who would leave for LIV (or other unauthorized events) will forfeit any unvested equity.

For the equity to vest, players must “provide services” each year of the vesting schedule. For most, those services are simple: just play PGA Tour events. Fully-exempt players who play 15 or more Tour events annually will meet that year’s requirement. Competing on the Korn Ferry and Champions tours also suffices, with DP World Tour events being approved on a case-by-case basis. In other words, if a fully-healthy McIlroy plays 14 Tour events and the BMW PGA Championship (a marquee event on the DP World Tour), he would need an approval for that final event to count as one of his 15. (It probably would.) 

But what if, say, McIlroy strains an oblique before reaching his 15-event threshold in 2027? He (and players in similar situations battling injuries or lacking Tour status or being over the age of 60) could make up for an under-15-event total by performing a Service Event. Things such as meeting with Tour sponsors or filming a documentary with the Tour, all of which are approved by the Tour. (There is some slight wiggle room in these requirements, where a player could make up for falling just short one year by doing more in the following year.) Even if the nuts and bolts of this program can be complex, the Tour has tried to make it simple: play your golf, and your equity will vest. If life changes and circumstances arise, there are other ways to meet requirements.

Players cannot cash out for years (and they will be taxed)

Players can sell their equity only when it is vested, but they will also be taxed on those vesting dates.

Lance Stover, senior vice president of New Ventures at the Tour, explained a bit of the dollars and cents on the final educational video: “As with all forms of compensation … at each vesting milestone [years 4, 6 and 8 after the initial grants], players will be responsible for paying federal and state income taxes at ordinary income tax rates on the fair market value of the vested awards at the time of vesting.” So players will begin to be taxed on the value of their equity four years from now.

Importantly, the implication — of both the investment from SSG and from equity dished to players — is that PGA Tour Enterprises will continue to increase in value as the Tour moves forward. Almost all major sports leagues and franchises have seen their valuations skyrocket in recent years, and there’s little reason to suggest the PGA Tour would experience anything different, even if TV ratings have dipped in the first part of 2024.

The initial SSG investment valued the PGA Tour at $12.3 billion, and there is clearly still room for future investment from the Saudi PIF . The Tour’s television rights deal runs through 2030, but negotiations for the next deal will begin in just a few years. All of these things can impact the valuation of PGA Tour Enterprises at the point at which player equity would vest.

But wait! There’s more equity

Keen observers will note that these initial grants are devoted only to those who have made the Tour the best place for pros to compete in the world. But what about those who will continue making it the best place for competitive golf? More grants are on the way.

Beginning in 2025, each PGA Tour season will see additional grants awarded to the top performers on Tour — $100 million in grant value will be issued to roughly 20 players each year, based on Career Points (explained above) and Player Impact Program results that year. So someone like, say, Ludvig Aberg , who didn’t play on the PGA Tour during many of the years that formed this initial grant offering, will likely fare well with good performances in the years to come.

The OTHER big idea here 

The PGA Tour wants players to be rewarded for their loyalty, to maintain that loyalty, but also to begin thinking like an owner. Like player-owners, who are focused on the Tour with the actions they make and the words they say. The Tour wants all its constituents rowing in the same direction, and they figure this program should help inspire that shared mindset.

“Owners are motivated to think beyond their personal performance week-to-week and year-to-year,” Gore said in one of the videos. “They have a broader perspective of how their actions can impact the long term health and performance of the Tour in a positive way. One that meets the needs of our fans at every turn. It’s no longer a what’s in it for me as much as it should be what’s in it for the growth of the Tour, which of course could bring more equity value to the players in the long run. It’s a virtuous cycle if we can get it right.” 

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Money Matters

Inside the PGA Tour's new program that guarantees all exempt players will make a minimum of $500K

Rookie Cameron Young was able to make more than $6 million this season. But for first-timers less fortunate moving forward, the PGA Tour is guaranteeing they'll make at least $500,000.

Cliff Hawkins

ATLANTA — Much of the talk surrounding the PGA Tour in recent months has focused on figuring out ways top players can be compensated well enough to want to stick around and not be lured away by LIV Golf. But on Wednesday, tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced a new financial incentive program geared not just for the tour’s biggest stars, but all its members.

For the 2022-23 season, all fully exempt tour players who compete in 15 tournaments will be guaranteed to earn $500,000 through the creation of the Earnings Assurance Program. For rookies and returning members to the tour, that money isn’t just guaranteed, but will be paid up front, with the players drawing against it during the season from their earnings.

“We believe it meets the challenging dynamic of how players manage and invest in their careers, and it's comparable to how other leagues approach their athlete compensation,” Monahan said when discussing the program during a press conference ahead of the Tour Championship.

MORE: PGA Tour adds more lucrative events, gets top players to commit to play together on regular basis

According to Monahan, any player making more than $500,000 will, obviously, accrue all the money they earn. And any player who comes up short of $500,000, the tour at the end of the year will pay the difference.

Typically, 215 to 220 golfers are fully exempt during the PGA Tour season. The tour is confident the majority of those players will surpass the $500,000 threshold. For that reason, Monahan said it was estimated the program would cost the tour between $2 million and $3 million to implement.

During the 2021-22 season, 163 players earned more than $500,000 on tour.

“I think what we're trying to do here is that, as you start a season and you plan for a season knowing the monies that you have to invest to compete … at the highest level,” Monahan said. “There are significant costs. So if you’re not able to play for whatever reason, you have that as a backstop. You know that that’s there for you.”

There were 28 rookies on the PGA Tour this season, led by the meteoric rise of Cameron Young. His seven top-10s this season include a third at the PGA Championship and a second at the Open at St. Andrews, which combined for $6.5 million in earnings through the BMW Championship.

MORE: Why the Player Impact Program will become even more important (and lucrative) in 2023

Down the list of rookies, however, there are six who did not earn $500,000 and thus would have been paid the difference: Paul Barjon, Dylan Wu, Curtis Thompson, David Skinns, Jared Wolfe and Joshua Creel.

The program, however, will benefit not just newcomers to the tour, but even some who already have had stand out careers. During the 2022-23 season, former FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker played 22 events but struggled with just two top-25 finishes. He wound up earning $352,198. Even a player like him, however, would be entitled to the $500,000 minimum, with the tour paying the remaining $147,802.

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Patrick Cantlay net worth: How much is the PGA Tour star worth?

PGA Tour golfer Patrick Cantlay boasts a huge net worth thanks to prize money won on the course, endorsements and sponsorships.

PGA Tour golfer Patrick Cantlay may not be among the most popular players in the world but he is certainly one of the richest. 

The majority of Cantlay's net worth comes from prize money won on the course. 

Cantlay joined the Tour in 2014 and has already amassed nearly $50m in prize money. 

Of course, a large portion of that figure came when he was crowned the FedExCup champion in 2021 and scooped a cool $15m bonus. 

Only the man himself knows exactly how much cash he has in the bank but we can take a closer look at his finances. 

Let's dive in...

PGA Tour prize money

As of 21 August 2024, Cantlay had amassed a whopping $47,959,215 in official PGA Tour prize money. 

Cantlay has won eight times on the PGA Tour, although a major championship win still eludes him. 

Let's take a look at his earnings since his debut:

PGA Tour bonuses

Cantlay also benefits from PGA Tour bonuses, such as the player impact programme (PIP). 

The Tour claimed the PIP, which was introduced in 2021, was a way to financially reward players who had the most significant impact in promoting the circuit and generating fan interest.

But some critics took a dim view, suggesting it was just a way to prevent more players joining the Saudi-back LIV Golf League .

The PIP awarded bonuses based on a player's influence on and off the course through a number of different metrics such as internet searches and TV exposure. 

Cantlay did not feature in the inaugural PIP - which was won by Tiger Woods two years running before he was dethroned by Rory McIlro y - but he was awarded $2m in the 2022 and $6m in 2023. 

PGA Tour Enterprises

Cantlay will also benefit from equity in PGA Tour Enterprises. 

The for-profit company was set-up in 2023 and nearly golfers were given the opportunity to have equity. 

According to NBC Sports, the Tour is planning a mid-march 2025 rollout for the equity programme. 

Major championship prize money

Cantlay hasn't won a major championship yet but the big four typically offer bumper prize purses given their status. 

In 2024, Cantlay picked up $175,500 at The Masters , $28,547 at the PGA Championship , $1,229,051 at the U.S. Open and $124,617 at The Open . 

Sponsorships and endorsements

Cantlay's sponsors include:

• Super Stroke
• ZeroRestriction

What is Patrick Cantlay's net worth?

More about patrick cantlay... .

Who is Patrick Cantlay's wife?

Nikki Guidish

Who is Patrick Cantlay's caddie?

How much does patrick cantlay pay his caddie.

An agreed upon salary, plus 10 per cent of tournament prize money.

Where is Patrick Cantlay from?

Cantlay was born in Long Beach, California, on 17 March 1992. 

What is Patrick Cantlay's nickname?

When did patrick cantlay turn professional, what are his hobbies and interests.

Outside of golf, Cantlay is said to enjoy ping pong and watching movies. 

His favourite director is Quentin Tarantino. 

Who is Patrick Cantlay's manager?

Mark Steinberg represents Cantlay. 

Steinberg's biggest client is Tiger Woods. 

Has Patrick Cantlay played in the Ryder Cup?

Yes, in 2021 and 2023. 

What is Patrick Cantlay's Ryder Cup record?

• Patrick Cantlay WITB

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Adam Scott returns to site of PGA Tour debut in 2000 looking to take out the BMW Championship

Returning to the site of his US PGA Tour debut after 25 seasons and with $100m in the bank, Adam Scott has one goal.

‘Ultimate celebration’ includes key event’s return

Aussie legend’s final major spin

Aussie star bringing the ‘vibe’ for Open push

Adam Scott is flying the flag for the “40 plusses” in the penultimate event of the PGA Tour with so much still to play for nearly a quarter of a century since he made his debut at the site of this week’s $30m BMW Championship.

The now 44-year-old was in his first year as a professional in 2000 when he missed the cut in The International at Castle Pines Golf Club near Denver, now the site of the second event in the PGA Tour playoffs, where Scott is in the elite 50-player field looking to make it to the 30-man, season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

He’s clawed his way back from being outside the top 60 in the world rankings midway through 2024, playing in all four majors, taking his streak to 96, and courtesy of just making the field this week has earnt a start in all eight “signature” PGA Tour event in 2025, where more than $230m in prizemoney is up for grabs.

With close to $100m in career earnings on the PGA Tour across 25 seasons, which is top 10 in all-time money earners, chasing extra cash is less of a priority now for Scott than adding titles to a cabinet that has only been opened once since 2020 when he took out the Cathedral Invitational in rural Victoria at the end of 2023.

But that didn’t fully satisfy a winning thirst that remains his drive.

Scott is adamant that even after a 2024 season to date he said he’d give himself a “pass” for, he’s playing well enough at a “good time of the year” to be successful in a game that is “moving fast”.

“I feel like my game’s really taking shape the last couple of months. I’ve been a winner on the PGA Tour and I believe I can still be a winner on the PGA Tour and that’s my focus for this week,” Scott, now 31 in the world, said.

“I expect more out of myself, but I’m at an interesting point in my career.

“I’m balancing and juggling a lot of things just at the golf course, let alone the rest of my life. The game’s moving fast and that’s a different thing for someone from my generation, I believe. And trying to get everything in line and stay competitive has been the biggest challenge.

“I haven’t had any bad results really. My game’s been fairly solid, but I just haven’t quite found that momentum. But the last few weeks is looking better, so it’s a good time a year to be playing well.”

Jason Day, Cam Davis and Scott are the last three Australians standing this week, with Davis and Scott needing to finish in the top 10 to make it to the Tour Championship.

Scott’s confidence levels have not diminished despite the younger profile of the game’s best players, and he’s adamant he’s got “some wins in me out here”.

“I still believe I have the game in me to be in that elite group of players on the PGA Tour and I still think I’ve got some wins in me out here,” he said.

“There’s still lots for me to accomplish and it’d be a feather in the cap for all the 40 pluses to make it to East Lake these days because it’s certainly getting harder and harder for us.”

A key event on the Australian golf calendar will return next year on the Gold Coast.

More than two decades after she won her last British Open, an Aussie icon is back in the field at St Andrews this week for one major reason.

A huge statement from the chairman of Augusta National could help boost the field for the Australian Open that has locked in a big gun already.

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Here's why 50 is the new 30 on the pga tour: 'you're gonna play for a pile of money', share this article.

In the final round of the 2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship, Hideki Matsuyama played the last six holes in 5 under at TPC Southwind to shoot 65 and finish T-16.

For a past champion of the Masters, it won’t go down as one of his best weeks but it’s a round he’ll remember for another reason. The 32-year-old Japanese star has gained a reputation for hanging his head, dropping a hand off his club or drop-kicking the club in disgust – only for the shot in question to be a thing of beauty. But for Tom Alter, the PGA Tour official charged with informing Matsuyama of the good news that he had done enough to shoot up to No. 47 in the FedEx Cup points standings and qualify for the BMW Championship, there was no mistaking Matsuyama’s reaction.  

“It was the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on his face,” Alter recalled. “It really resonated with me.”

Had Matsuyama not finished with a flurry at TPC Southwind a year ago, he may not have been in the field at the Genesis Invitational, one of eight signature events, in February, where he shot a final-round 62 to claim his ninth Tour title. 

The reason for Matsuyama’s glee is the goal this week for the 70-man field at the Tour’s first of three playoff events: making the top 50 and qualifying for the BMW Championship means being exempt into all of the signature events during the 2025 season. Given that those events have limited fields, play for significantly more money and elevated FedEx Cup points and often have no cuts, they offer a huge head start on retaining playing privileges for the following season and remaining in the top 50.

“Fifty is like the new 30,” said Mackenzie Hughes, who finished 51 st  last season but ended up getting into the signature events this season when Jon Rahm departed for LIV Golf. “Outside of East Lake, that’s the number in the back of your mind. It’s that important and everyone knows it.”

But when Kevin Kisner was asked if 50 is the new 30 on Tour, he was taken aback. “Hell, no, the average age these days is about 25,” Kisner claimed. But when informed this wasn’t a reference to age but to position in the FedEx Cup list, he quickly understood. “Get in the top 50 and you’re set for your schedule all year, you’re gonna play for a pile of money, and you’ve got all the chances in the world,” he said.

Tweaks are bound to be made to this latest iteration of the Tour’s reimagined schedule which already has evolved its nomenclature for its biggest tournaments from designated to elevated and now into signature events. Several players weigh in on what works and what needs to be changed and if top-50 status is too big of an advantage.

FedEx St. Jude:  Photos  |  Thursday tee times

Mackenzie Hughes

Mackenzie Hughes tees off from the third hole during the third round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

I don’t think the signature events are the answer at all. I don’t think they’re very good. I don’t think limiting the field to the size that they are is the answer. I don’t think if you asked the average fan they’d say I want more 70-man fields. 

If you keep putting the same guys together every week it becomes the same thing over and over again, rinse and repeat. I don’t think it’s the answer but they’re not listening to guys like me. They are going to keep making the top guys happy and that’s what they want and that’s what they’re going to get.

Asked to name some changes he’d like to see, he said, “Maybe a field of 100 with a cut to 50 or 60 and ties. What we have now is too small. When you have a 72-man field and cut to 50 and ties it feels too gimmicky. Make it 100 and it would still feel elite but you’re not closing the door completely to guys who might just be on the outside. I think it would be a better product. I don’t think we should have no-cut events. The PGA Tour is a meritocracy, you’ve got to go out there and earn it. I know you’ve earned it being in the 50 to get in those no-cut events but I feel like that’s what separates us from LIV. Add eight of those events and it’s like are we really that much different sometimes, you know? We criticize them for having no cut and then we add some of them. But that’s not happening next year and probably the year after that but probably at some point it will change like it does every year, it seems like now. We’ll see what happens. I don’t think I’m the only one who is saying that.”  

Kevin Kisner

Kevin Kisner hits his tee shot on the tenth hole during the second round of the 3M Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

“Get in the top 50 and you’re set for your schedule all year, you’re gonna play for a pile of money, and you’ve got all the chances in the world.

“I just think they’re gonna have less cards in the future. There’s no way we can keep coming to these events and playing 156 (man fields) and then they’re going to those and playing 68 or whatever. I think the end game is to get it down to probably 100 (cards), that’s my guess. But get it down to 100 and have smaller fields and a better product throughout. If you finished top 50, you had a hell of a year, and you deserve it. And I think the other thing worked great, the Swing 5 and the Aon 10, or whatever it was called. I really think that’s a great way to get guys opportunities to play in those signature events.”

Kevin Chappell

Kevin Chappell plays his shot from the 18th tee during the first round of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports

“I think we have to acknowledge that we have two different tours. There are guys buying airplanes and there are guys flying commercial in center seats. That’s the difference out here right now. Let’s function in that realm and let’s make everything better about that. 

“The best events we had all year were full-field events. The Players Championship couldn’t have been better with a 144-man field; look at the majors.

“I don’t know what the turnover is going to be but they can’t be as high as they (the Tour) projected. [Heading into the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the Tour says 19 players are in the top 50 that were not last year, which converts to 62 percent retention vs 64 percent projected.]

“The points are skewed too much in favor of the top players. They’ll never do it but why can’t all the events be 500 points? It’s already a discrepancy in money.”

Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Christiaan Bezuidenhout watches his shot on the first tee during the third round of the Valspar Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

“Obviously didn’t really know what to think of the Aon 5 and Aon 10 at the start of the year and if a lot of the players are going to benefit out of it, but I was a guy that benefited a lot out of it. Obviously got off to a strong start at the beginning of the year with my runner-up finish at the American Express, and that put me into a great position to play my way into all the signature events for the rest of the year.

“It was nice to see that the system that the PGA Tour put in place for the Aon 5 and the Next 10 worked, and yeah, luckily I benefited out of that.

“I think all of the signature events are really strong events. You have your top 70 players on the PGA Tour playing in those events. You could just feel every time you pitched up at those events, you can just feel — it feels like a major. It feels like it’s elevated.”

Patrick Rodgers

Patrick Rodgers hits the ball from the fourth hole tee during the final round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

“I say this having been in the signature events all year and being in the top 50 last year, but it still probably needs some tweaking. You need to have had a helluva year having not played in those events to compete with the guys who have. There needs to be something closer to a middle ground. I do like every year that guys who are in those played their way.”

Stewart Cink

Stewart Cink hits his tee shot on the second hole during the third round of the 3M Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

“I don’t think the signature events are the right way to do it. It’s not a scientific study but my buddies at home that pay attention to golf don’t know the difference between a signature event or a 3M or John Deere. It doesn’t mean one thing to them if there are 70 players or 156 players other than if there’s players up on the top of the leaderboard that they don’t know who they are, they enjoy watching it and learning who they are. You don’t get that at the signature events.

“What you miss out on you don’t gain back. It’s great to have the the top 10 players playing and Scottie Scheffler’s going to win a lot but it’s also good to have an influx of new players. We’re star building for the future. Golf backfills itself with stardom. Look at Bob MacIntrye. Golf will build itself new stars but we have to let it. Cutting fields in half is not a way to do it.

“We need to make it a manageable number so we’re not finishing on Saturday to make a cut, in the 120 to 132 range. There are probably a lot of guys that would like to kick me in the teeth for saying this but we probably have to look at the No. 125 and determine whether it’s still viable as the number for being fully exempt. It seems to me like 115, 100 would be more reasonable. We’ve got players coming from the DP World Tour. Maybe we start sending some of our players in that direction. You finish Nos. 26-45 on Korn Ferry Tour this year and maybe we send those players to DP World Tour. You think they’ll take it? I do and it will probably make them better players in the long run.”

Zach Johnson

Zach Johnson reacts on the seventh green during the second round of the 3M Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

“I fully appreciate having events that are elevated, having a little bit more merit, have a little bit more substance for our sponsors and for TV and players’ fans, I think there’s a space. I think this is the first iteration. I look at the first year of the FedEx Cup and we didn’t get it right the first time, didn’t get it right the second time, probably didn’t get it right the third or fourth time but at some point, it just kind of, it just happens. And I think that’s kind of where we’re at right now. To what degree it will change or morph or nuance, I don’t know. But I think there’s a space for now. 

“The only thing I would like to see is no sponsor exemptions, strictly merit. If we’re going to promote meritocracy, remove them completely. And I say that I understand the history the tradition of like say Muirfield Village, Bay Hill, those two particularly, maybe even L.A., because there’s a couple of rules you know that there’s some attachments their sponsor sponsors exempted.”

Gary Woodland

Gary Woodland lines up a putt on the 1st hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Pinehurst No. 2. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

“Top 50 is so massive. I think it’s more important now than it’s ever been. It’s a massive advantage. The points are so much bigger. First time in a while that I couldn’t set my schedule. You’ve got to play your way in.

“You have these sponsors spending $25 million so they’re going to want some of their own guys.

“Early in my career, top 30 got into the World Golf Championships. So, now they’re giving 20 more spots. Playing well takes care of everything.

“On whether changes should be made: They know that. They’ll make some adjustments. After next year, they’ll do something.”

Billy Horschel

Billy Horschel acknowledges the gallery on one during the second round of the Wyndham Championship golf tournament at Sedgefield Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

“I think it is working. I think it does allow players that play well throughout the year to work their way into signature events and then into the top 50. You have to have a really good year if you’re not inside the signature events. I was fortunate I played well in one of them. I played well in two majors. You have to play well at the right time. It’s a difficult thing to do but it’s possible. Yes, it’s an advantage to be in the top 50. At the same time, there’s enough opportunity throughout the year to work your way into the top 50.

“When I realized the pecking order, I told the Tour that Tour winners should go ahead of the Aon 10, and the Swing 5. That will allow even more opportunities to allow players into those categories. That’s the one change to the system I would make now.”

Horschel on returning to an opposite-field event again: “I accepted where I was, that I hadn’t played well in 2023 and that there was a possibility I might need to play some opposite field events to get into the Swing 5 and Aon 10. I was fully of the mindset that I was going there for one reason only and that was to win. I didn’t have to swallow any pride. I had come to the realization that I had put myself in this position and I had to get myself out of it and fortunately it worked itself out.”

He wrote or called tournament directors or sponsors at every event. He received invites from Memorial, where he won in 2022, and the Travelers, where he was 11 th in the Aon standings and missed qualifying by a few points. Horschel had this to say about sponsor invites: “There should be a limit. I almost feel there shouldn’t be any sponsor invites. You should be able to play your way into them. Sponsor invites get a little messy and we’ve seen that this year. I understand sponsors want to invite certain players who have looked after the event and may bring more attention to the event. Maybe there should be a cap on them. Maybe only four to the signature events. It’s just another way to give more opportunities to more players.

“I will study the FedEx Cup final standings in the next few weeks after the season is done with and circle back to the Tour to see how they think things worked out and how they are thinking of things going into next year.”

Joel Dahmen

Joel Dahmen lines up a putt on the eighth hole during the second round of the 2024 RBC Canadian Open. (Photo: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports)

Fifty matters. I think the talent of the Tour, the depth of the Tour is so deep now that 50 is small. I’m on the outside of it so it is easy for me to say that. If I was on the other side, I’d be saying keep everyone out. 

You have to have a really good year. I think (fields) should be 100-ish. I know we’re talking about cutting cards down to a hundred guys and all that stuff; we’re just making it hard to get out here and it’s already hard enough.

I think the point structure should change. I’m not smart enough to do all that math. If you want to keep 70-man fields, fine, but lessen how many points they get. The difference in points is staggering but you can always just play better. Peter Malnati did it. He won and he got in them. The difference in the points makes us feel like we’re not as important as maybe some of us think we are. And really we’re not that important. We feel important, we want to be important but we’re really not that important. They can run those 70-man events.

Asked about not getting any sponsor invites: My level in this game will never be higher because of Netflix unless I win a major. To not get one, to not even sniff one, it’s fine, just play better. It would’ve been nice to get one but they’re not keeping anyone out, you can always play your way in.

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