How Do Golfers Get Paid

I recently watched former pro golfer turned YouTuber Rick Shiels practise an interview with Viktor Hovland where the Norwegian spoke about the feel of winning a Tour upshot. Ane question that arose was when pro golfers go paid after a tournament.

Hovland gave valuable insight into the procedure later winning a tournament. Knowing how to swing a golf club is one piece of the puzzle, but in this postal service, I'll take you through the administrative side of being a professional golfer.

Bated from unveiling when the paycheck clears their bank business relationship, I list the other operating expenses they must account for.

When Practice Golfers Get Paid Later a Tournament?

In his interview with Shiels, Hovland explains that a winner's earnings hit their account on the Wed afterwards DP Earth Tour events. Although he said he was not 100% certain, he believed information technology would be the same for the PGA Tour.

Therefore, it takes approximately three days from when a golf professional person sinks the winning putt in a tournament until they receive their money.

How Much of Their Winnings Do Golfers Go on?

3 factors bear upon the total winnings that pro golfers keep. These are state revenue enhancement, transfer, and caddy fees. The PGA Tour deducts State taxation, and the transfer fees are docked by the banking concern. Any remains appears in their account on the Wednesday post-obit the event.

The PGA professional and so transfers the agreed fee to their caddy, which ESPN suggests is a minimum of 5%. This fee varies depending on the agreement the role player and caddy accept. For case, Matt Kuchar made the headlines when he paid his caddie $5,000 later on winning about $1.iii one thousand thousand.

I accept as well included their expenses for the calendar week to provide a more accurate thought of the internet prize money. However, I excluded flights because of the variation in professionals' dwelling house bases and the tournament locations. Plus, some players fly in private jets, which leads to fluctuating prices.

Let'south say that a thespian spends $450 per nighttime on adaptation for them and their caddy. Add an actress $100 to $200 for nutrient per day, and multiply that by half-dozen for the entire week.

Here'due south an approximate of the full winnings a golfer keeps for the Masters, PGA Championship, and US Open:

Tournament	Masters	PGA Championship	U.S Open
Winners Bag	$2,700,000	$2,160,000	$ii,250,000
Country Tax	7.31% (Augusta)	8.52%	5%
Transfer Fee	$thirty	$30	$30
Locker Room Fee	$50	$50	$50
Caddy Fee (5%)	$135,000	$108,000	$112,500
Accommodation	$2,700	$ii,700	$two,700
Nutrient	$1200	$1200	$1200
Total	$2,313,700	$ane,778,038	$i,971,070

*These figures exclude airfare. Caddie fees and state tax may vary depending on the municipality of the event.

Based on the information in the table, we see that professionals lose betwixt 10 to 12% of the advertised tournament purse. Obviously, that is without factoring in the toll of transport and a varying fee for caddies.

I know some golfers who pay 10% of their earnings to their caddie if they win, so that number fluctuates likewise.

Boilerplate Winning of a PGA Tour Golfer

Sports Illustrated reported that the average winnings of a PGA professional in 2021 was $ane,485,055. This is the highest that the average has ever been, up over $400,000 from the shortened 2020 season. 2018 is the next best flavour. That year, players bagged an average of $1,329,295 from PGA Bout outcome earnings.

Nosotros have come a long style from 1996 when $181,000 was the base of operations salary for players. These days, your bank account can look good for you even if y'all play to par.

The claiming with looking at the boilerplate winnings is that it fails to view the overall picture. Not every pro is raking in millions. The guys at the bottom finish of the Bout money list struggle to keep their cards and face the threat of relegation to the Korn Ferry (previously Nationwide Bout).

Do Pro Golfers Get Paid to Play Tournaments?

Yeah, professional person golfers play for prize money, and their income is performance-based. Retrieve of it equally a commission-simply sales job. The ameliorate yous perform, the more coin you make. Advent fees are not as common today, given the lucrative purse offered. Only the exercise nevertheless occurs outside of the PGA Tour.

1999 Australian Masters champion Craig Spence once recalled a time when sponsors coughed up appearance fees which eased the pain of pricey long-haul flights. Information technology also immune upwards-and-coming players to focus on their golf and not worry nearly sinking themselves into debt should they miss the cut.

These fees besides entice the world's best to make the journeying to an International outcome. In 2013, Tiger Woods was offered $three million to tee off in the Turkish Airlines Open. The DP World Tour dips into its marketing budget to describe globe-class fields to events, calling it a Promotional Service Fee.

Events in Europe, Asia, and Africa do not offer much in the grade of prize coin.A height ten payday is rough, simply a 60th place finisher would earn a pittance. Therefore, the events need to incentivize superlative players by forking out an upfront fee.

The reality is that the world'south superlative players will concenter crowds. Plus, they drive revenue from the accommodation, tickets, merchandise, and nutrient and potable. As a issue, it makes financial sense for the Tour to pay an upfront marketing expense.

Therefore, if you play on the PGA Tour, your income stems from your results on the golf course and endorsement deals. Notwithstanding, the summit players may receive an appearance fee when playing in events outside of the U.s.a..

Practice Pro Golfers Make Money If They Miss The Cut?

The only professional person events where professionals become paid for missing the cuts are in majors. For example, golfers who missed the cut at the 2022 Masters Championship still walked away with $10,000. However, in regular Tour events, a missed cut equals 2 days of free labor.

One chap from my high school golf team plays on the Sunshine Tour. He has played viii events and missed 5 cuts. Fortunately, he has a victory and two peak 15 finishes. Otherwise, his financial advisor would exist tearing their pilus out.

Ultimately, if a professional wants a guaranteed payday they need to make the cut or be playing in a major tournament.

How Is Golf Purse Distribution?

When the PGA Tour determines the total purse for an event, they assign a percentage of the bag to each position. The Tour saves xviii% of the pie for the winner,10.eight% for 2nd identify, and 6.8% for tertiary. The quaternary placed golfer takes a iv.viii% piece of the total, the 5th takes 4%, and the 6th 3.6%.

The seventh position walks away with iii.35%, 8th with iii.ane%, and 9th with two.9%. The tenth best player in the tournament enjoys 2.7% of the winnings. Prize money distribution continues upwards to the 70th placed golfer, assigned 0.ii%.

Permit u.s.a. expect at the 2022 Masters for a clearer picture of the handbag distribution. Scottie Scheffler donned the green jacket and cashed a cheque for $two.7 one thousand thousand, which was 18% of the $15 million purse. 2nd place Rory McIlroy banked $i.62 million, 10.eight% of the total purse.

Cam Smith and Shane Lowry tied for third and grabbed $870,000 each. The 3rd place prize of $1,020,000 is added to the 4th place value of $720,000. This totals $1,740,000. When divided past 2, information technology leaves us with $870,000. Plain, these figures do not follow the pattern as the prize money is carve up between two positions.

Otherwise, the tendency continues with Collin Morikawa, who finished lone in 5th. He took home $600,000 which is four% of the total $15,000,000 purse.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini'south father put a seven-fe and doodle in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at yous and has now settled downwardly as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.