Additional Coverage:
- Scottie Scheffler already on the cusp of passing Tiger Woods on PGA Tour career earnings list (foxnews.com)
Scottie Scheffler is closing in on an extraordinary milestone in professional golf, inching ever closer to surpassing Tiger Woods as the all-time PGA Tour career earnings leader. On Sunday, Scheffler secured his 21st PGA Tour victory by dominating the FedEx St. Jude Championship with an eight-shot margin, pocketing $3.6 million and pushing his total prize money earnings to nearly $120 million.
Tiger Woods, widely credited with revolutionizing the sport’s financial landscape, currently holds the top spot with career earnings of approximately $121 million. However, Scheffler, who celebrated his 30th birthday in June, is now within striking distance-just over $1 million shy of overtaking Woods.
With the upcoming BMW Championship and Tour Championship boasting massive no-cut purses of $20 million and $40 million respectively, Scheffler is favored to not only claim more prize money but also secure the No. 1 position on the career earnings list in the coming weeks. The Tour Championship winner alone will receive a staggering $10 million, and even the top eight finishers will earn at least $1 million.
The rapid growth of prize money in golf is striking. For context, Woods’ 2019 Masters victory brought him $2.07 million, while Scheffler’s recent Masters triumph paid out $2.7 million-an indicator of how the sport’s financial rewards have escalated in just a few years. Woods amassed his impressive $121 million over 378 starts and 82 wins, while Scheffler has amassed nearly the same amount in fewer than 168 starts.
Beyond the Woods-Scheffler rivalry, the career earnings leaderboard highlights a significant gap between the top three and the rest of the field. Woods leads with $120.9 million, followed closely by Scheffler at $119.9 million, and Rory McIlroy in third place with $116.4 million. The fourth-ranked player, Justin Rose, trails with just under $79 million.
As the PGA Tour continues to grow and evolve-transitioning from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity-the surge in prize money shows no signs of slowing. For players like Scheffler, competing in this lucrative era offers unprecedented financial opportunities, making this weekend’s events some of the most consequential in recent golf history.