The impact of COVID-19 was unmistakable at TPC Harding Park this week as the PGA of America held the 102nd PGA Championship. Postponed due to the pandemic from its original May dates, the tournament was held without fans, creating a decidedly more low-key atmosphere compared to the usual hustle and bustle of a modern major championship. A strict health and safety protocol also created a surreal environment for players, caddies and other officials inside the PGA of America’s “bubble.”
There is one aspect of the PGA Championship, however, that wasn’t altered by the coronavirus: the prize money payout for those competing this week in San Francisco. PGA of America officials kept the total purse for the 156-player field at $11 million, the third straight year it’s been at that eight-figure mark. And has been the case the last two years for Brooks Koepka, new 2020 PGA champion Collin Morikawa walked off with a $1.98 million payday for his victory.
Not a bad week’s work.
The PGA Championship payout ranks third highest among the four men’s major championships. At the 2019 Masters, Augusta National officials increased the overall purse to $11.5 million with Tiger Woods earning $2.07 million. The U.S. Open purse jumped to $12.5 million in 2019, with the winner Gary Woodland receiving $2.25 million. And last year, the Open Championship offered a $10.75 million purse with Shane Lowry receiving $1.935 million in earnings.
And the most lucrative purse on the PGA Tour? That distinction goes to the Players Championship. Well, sort of. This year, the tour was set to offer a record $15 million total prize money payout, with the winner claiming $2.7 million. The tournament, however, was called off after the first round as the pandemic first became a national issue.
The evolution of the prize-money payout in the PGA Championship offers an interesting look at how slowly golf purses evolved over the years. Suffice it to say, when Tiger entered the mix in the 1990s, it did much to help bring new fans (and new sponsors) to professional golf. The payouts from the PGA of America went up exponentially after his arrival in pro golf, as you can see from the information below. Here's a look at what the payouts had been in the past.
Year: Winner's Pay, Total Purse
1916: $500, $2,580 (first year of the event)
1931: $1,000, $7,200 (first year winner's pay increased)
1953: $5,000, $20,700 (first year winner's pay was $5K)
1958: $5,500, $39,388 (first year of stroke play, also the winner's amount actually decreased that year)
1965: $25,000, $149,700
1978: $50,000, $300,240
1983: $100,000, $608,099
1988: $160,000, $1,000,000 (first year with a $1M total purse)
1993: $300,000, $1,702,750
1998: $540,000, $2,886,800
2000: $900,000, $5,031,100 (first year with a $5M total purse)
2003: $1,080,000, $5,938,300 (first year with $1M-plus to the winner)
2009: $1,350,000, $7,484,500
2014: $1,800,000, $9,913,000
2020: $1,980,000, $11,000,000
Here is a breakdown of the prize money payouts for each golfer in the field.
WIN: Collin Morikawa, 267/-13, $1,980,000
T-2: Paul Casey, 269/-11, $968,000
T-2: Dustin Johnson, 269/-11, $968,000
T-4: Jason Day, 270/-10, $404,350
T-4: Bryson DeChambeau, 270/-10, $404,350
T-4: Tony Finau, 270/-10, $404,350
T-4: Scottie Scheffler, 270/-10, $404,350
T-4: Matthew Wolff, 270/-10, $404,350
9: Justin Rose, 271/-9, $295,600
T-10: Cameron Champ, 272/-8, $252,123.33
T-10: Joel Dahmen, 272/-8, $252,123.33
T-10: Xander Schauffele, 272/-8, $252,123.33
T-13: Daniel Berger, 273/-7, $192,207.50
T-13: Si Woo Kim, 273/-7, $192,207.50
T-13: Jon Rahm, 273/-7, $192,207.50
T-13: Patrick Reed, 273/-7, $192,207.50
T-17: Haotong Li, 274/-6, $156,500
T-17: Brendon Todd, 274/-6, $156,500
T-19: Harris English, 275/-5, $134,000
T-19: Lanto Griffin, 275/-5, $134,000
T-19: Kevin Kisner, 275/-5, $134,000
T-22: Byeong Hun An, 276/-4, $94,571.42
T-22: Hideki Matsuyama, 276/-4, $94,571.42
T-22: Alex Noren, 276/-4, $94,571.42
T-22: Victor Perez, 276/-4, $94,571.42
T-22: Ian Poulter, 276/-4, $94,571.42
T-22: Adam Scott, 276/-4, $94,571.42
T-22: Brendan Steele, 276/-4, $94,571.42
T-29: Tommy Fleetwood, 277/-3, $69,500
T-29: Brooks Koepka, 277/-3, $69,500
T-29: Doc Redman, 277/-3, $69,500
T-29: Harold Varner III, 277/-3, $69,500
T-33: Dylan Frittelli, 278/-2, $57,500
T-33: Viktor Hovland, 278/-2, $57,500
T-33: Rory McIlroy, 278/-2, $57,500
T-33: Louis Oosthuizen, 278/-2, $57,500
T-37: Bud Cauley, 279/-1, $45,000
T-37: Russell Henley, 279/-1, $45,000
T-37: Nate Lashley, 279/-1, $45,000
T-37: Webb Simpson, 279/-1, $45,000
T-37: Justin Thomas, 279/-1, $45,000
T-37: Tiger Woods, 279/-1, $45,000
T-43: Abraham Ancer, 280/ E, $31,593.75
T-43: Patrick Cantlay, 280/ E, $31,593.75
T-43: Billy Horschel, 280/ E, $31,593.75
T-43: Michael Lorenzo-Vera, 280/ E, $31,593.75
T--43: Keith Mitchell, 280/ E, $31,593.75
T-43: Ryan Palmer, 280/ E, $31,593.75
T-43: Cameron Smith, 280/ E, $31,593.75
T-43: Bernd Wiesberger, 280/ E, $31,593.75
T-51: Mark Hubbard, 281/+1, $24,000
T-51: Kurt Kitayama, 281/+1, $24,000
T-51: Luke List, 281/+1, $24,000
T-51: Adam Long, 281/+1, $24,000
T-51: Joost Luiten, 281/+1, $24,000
T-51: Brandt Snedeker, 281/+1, $24,000
T-51: Erik van Rooyen, 281/+1, $24,000
T-58: Adam Hadwin, 282/+2, $21,337.50
T-58: Brian Harman, 282/+2, $21,337.50
T-58: Tom Hoge, 282/+2, $21,337.50
T-58: Mackenzie Hughes, 282/+2, $21,337.50
T-58: Denny McCarthy, 282/+2, $21,337.50
T-58: Charl Schwartzel, 282/+2, $21,337.50
T-58: Kevin Streelman, 282/+2, $21,337.50
T-58: Gary Woodland, 282/+2, $21,337.50
T-66: Emiliano Grillo, 283/+3, $20,000
T-66: Shane Lowry, 283/+3, $20,000
T-66: Robert MacIntyre, 283/+3, $20,000
T-66: Rory Sabbatini, 283/+3, $20,000
T-66: Sepp Straka, 283/+3, $20,000
T-71: Danny Lee, 284/+4, $19,350
T-71: Phil Mickelson, 284/+4, $19,350
T-71: Jordan Spieth, 284/+4, $19,350
T-71: Bubba Watson, 284/+4, $19,350
T-75: J.T. Poston, 286/+6, $19,050
T-75: Chez Reavie, 286/+6, $19,050
T-77: Jim Herman, 287/+7, $18,850
T-77: Matt Wallace, 287/+7, $18,850
79: Sung Kang, 290/+10, $18,700
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