Should one need proof there’s more money in professional golf than ever before, Scottie Scheffler’s four-stroke victory at the Masters Tournament gives him more than $15 million in winnings through nine events in 2024 – including just the first of the four major championships.
Scheffler earned $3.6 million and collected his second Green Jacket in three years by convincingly pulling away down the stretch during Sunday’s final round at Augusta National Golf Club. The No. 1 ranked golfer in the world birdied six of his final 11 holes as challengers faltered to notch his third win of the young season and become the first pre-tournament favorite to win the Masters since Tiger Woods in 2005.
Scheffler’s $15.1 million in official winnings is the third highest in a single season in PGA Tour history and certainly puts him in striking distance of the record $21 million he raked in last year. Scheffler has already surpassed the $14 million he earned in 2022, when he won four times (including the Masters) and led the PGA Tour in prize money.
There’s been significant attention to the money handed out to professional golfers who made the jump to the LIV Golf tour in recent years. But the competition also led the PGA Tour to significantly raise its tournament payouts. Augusta National has as well, boosting its total purse for the Masters to $20 million this year.
Prior to the past two years, there were just five instances in PGA Tour history of the leading money winner topping $10 million. Three of those were by Woods (2005, 2007, 2009) and the other two were Vijay Singh in 2004 and Jordan Spieth in 2012.
During the 2021-22 season, Scheffler and Cam Smith both eclipsed $10 million in winnings.
Last year, as the PGA Tour boosted its prize money total to $415 million, seven players won at least $10 million, with Scheffler becoming the first golfer to top the $20 million earnings milestone despite “only” two wins.
The 27-year-old Scheffler has already surpassed that win total this year by taking titles in three of his past four starts. He pocketed over $9 million last month alone, with a $4 million check for winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a $4.5 million payday for defending his title at the Players Championship, and over $550,000 for his runner-up finish at the Houston Open.
“I’m playing really good golf right now,” said Scheffler, who has yet to shoot a round above par in 2024 and is a combined 142-under par over 35 tournament rounds. “I feel like I’m in control of my emotions as I’ve ever been, which is a good place to be. I feel like I’m maturing as a person on the golf course, which is a good place to be.
“It’s hard to argue with the results of the last few weeks,” added Scheffler, whose wife Meredith is pregnant with the couple’s first baby. “I’ve been playing some nice golf. But I really try to not focus too much on the past. I’m going to go home this week and reflect on this week and soak it in as best I can.”