Prize money Archives

The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass is the most important tournament on the PGA Tour. Accordingly, the US Tour pays out the most prize money at the so-called “flagship tournament” in Florida. This year, the prize money is – once again – at a record level and significantly higher than the financial contributions of the majors. The Players Championship 2023 awards prize money of 25 million US dollars.

Players Championship prize money: PGA Tour draws level with LIV

This increases the purse by five million compared to the previous year, when Cameron Smith took home 3.6 million US dollars. In 2022, the prize money had already risen from 15 to 20 million. The PGA Tour saw itself forced to distribute significantly more prize money in the face of threatening competition from LIV Golf. The Players is one of the new Designated Events, which are endowed with an average of 20 million US dollars. As the flagship event, however, the “fifth major” stands out once again and draws level with the competition.

The tournaments of the LIV Golf League are also worth 25 million dollars each. One fifth of the prize money is intended for the team ranking of the Saudi League, the rest is paid to all 48 players in the individual ranking. At TPC Sawgrass, however, as usual only the 65 best and tied players who make the cut after two rounds will receive a share of the opulent prize money (see table below).

Fifth place earns seven figures

The winner of the Players Championship 2023 will walk away from Ponte Vedra Beach with a massive 4.5 million US dollars, while the runner-up will receive even more prize money (2.75 million) than, for example, Scottie Scheffler earned at the US Masters 2022. Even the fifth-placed player can be happy about more than one million US dollars.

By comparison, the major tournaments awarded significantly less prize money than the Players Championship or the new Designated Events in addition to the prestigious trophies last year. The US Masters 2022 offered 15 million US dollars, as did the PGA Championship 2022. The US Open 2022 gave the players a total of 17.5 million, the British Open 14 million US dollars. The prize money of the majors is typically only announced shortly before the respective tournaments. This year, the pots are likely to be bigger as well.

Prize money breakdown of the Players Championship 2023

Rank	Prize money ($)
1.	4,500,000
2.	2,725,000
3.	1,725,000
4.	1,225,000
5.	1,025,000
6.	906,250
7.	843,750
8.	781,250
9.	731,250
10.	681,250
11.	631,250
12.	581,250
13.	531,250
14.	481,250
15.	456,250
16.	431,250
17.	406,250
18.	381,250
19.	356,250
20.	331,250
21.	306,250
22.	281,250
23.	261,250
24.	241,250
25.	221,250
26.	201,250
27.	193,750
28.	186,250
29.	178,750
30.	171,250
31.	163,750
32.	156,250
33.	148,750
34.	142,500
35.	136,250
36.	130,000
37.	123,750
38.	118,750
39.	113,750
40.	108,750
41.	103,750
42.	98,750
43.	93,750
44.	88,750
45.	83,750
46.	78,750
47.	73,750
48.	69,750
49.	66,250
50.	64,250
51.	62,750
52.	61,250
53.	60,250
54.	59,250
55.	58,750
56.	58,250
57.	57,750
58.	57,250
59.	56,750
60.	56,250
61.	55,750
62.	55,250
63.	54,750
64.	54,250
65.	53,750

Competitive bidding by the organisers

By comparison, the US Masters and PGA Championship had both increased prize money to $15 million before this year’s editions. The US Open is the men’s major with the highest prize money at 17.5 million dollars, winner Matt Fitzpatrick received over three million dollars. The Players Championship, the flagship tournament of the PGA Tour, paid out 20 million dollars this year and 25 million dollars next year.

The drastic price increase is probably also linked to the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series, which lures stars to its tour with high sign-up bonuses and awards an additional 25 million dollars per tournament.

“We have made this substantial investment while balancing our wider commitments to developing golf at all levels around the world and to continuing to elevate the AIG Women’s Open.” Last year, the Association, together with the main sponsor, provided record prize money for the Women’s Major, which has since been surpassed by the US Women’s Open.

2022 British Open prize money

$2,500,000

$1,455,000

$933,000

$725,000

$583,000

$505,000

$434,000

$366,000

$321,000

$290,000

$264,000

$234,000

$220,000

$206,000

$191,500

$176,000

$167,500

$159,750

$153,000

$145,750

$139,000

$132,000

$125,000

$118,000

$114,000

$109,000

$105,000

$101,500

$97,000

$92,000

$89,000

$84,500

$81,500

$79,250

$76,500

$73,500

$70,000

$66,500

$64,000

$62,000

$59,500

$56,500

$54,000

$51,000

$48,000

$45,500

$43,700

$42,000

$40,000

$39,100

$38,200

$37,600

$37,000

$36,500

$35,900

$35,400

$35,000

$34,750

$34,500

$34,250

$34,000

$33,900

$33,750

$33,600

$33,400

$33,100

$32,900

$32,600

$32,400

$32,200