There are 13 golfers in PGA Tour history who have reached the $50 million plateau.
It may be a while until we see a 14th.
Even with the massive increase in prize money coming in 2023, there’s a variety of reasons why we may not see No. 14 for some time.
Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Jason Day are the most recent golfers to reach $50 million. Adam Scott, meanwhile, just became the seventh to reach $60 million.
They are part of an exclusive group headlined by Tiger Woods, whose $120 million (and counting) will likely stay No. 1 a while. Nos. 2 and 3 on the list – Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson – are now members of the LIV Golf League. Nos. 4 and 5 are PGA Tour Champions stalwarts these days.
| Ranking | Golfer | Money |
| 1 | Tiger Woods | $120,895,206 |
| 2 | Phil Mickelson | $94,955,060 |
| 3 | Dustin Johnson | $74,897,059 |
| 4 | Jim Furyk | $71,507,269 |
| 5 | Vijay Singh | $71,236,216 |
| 6 | Rory McIlroy | $68,064,549 |
| 7 | Adam Scott | $59,873,599 |
| 8 | Justin Rose | $57,432,647 |
| 9 | Matt Kuchar | $55,183,496 |
| 10 | Sergio Garcia | $54,433,395 |
| 11 | Jordan Spieth | $52,791,175 |
| 12 | Justin Thomas | $50,953,830 |
| 13 | Jason Day | $50,791,670 |
Jason Day is 13th and the last on the list of the current $50 million earners. Right below him is Ernie Els, tantalizingly close at $49,339,400, just $660,600 away. Now a regular on the Champions circuit, Els’ days making money on the “regular” Tour are probably over.
Then it’s Bubba Watson at No. 15 at $48,049,778, also now a member of LIV Golf. Behind him is Zach Johnson (16) at $47,768,230, Davis Love III (17) at $44,959,243 and Steve Stricker (18) is at $44,936,354.
Webb Simpson practices at the TPC Southwind driving range ahead of the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports Network)
Perhaps the next $50 million man will be Webb Simpson. He’s still more than $5 million away ($44,260,188 so far) but at age 37 probably has some good earning years left.
Stewart Cink is No. 20 on the money list at $42,847,649, with Rickie Fowler at No. 21. With $42,355,591 in earnings, Fowler, 34, no doubt has time on his side, if he can rekindle his game.
Fowler made just $1,072,929 in 22 events (13 made cuts) last season and just $3,110,142 combined over his last three seasons. This compared to what Fowler earned per season the ten years prior:
- $3,945,810
- $4,235,237
- $6,083,197
- $2,713,563
- $5,773,430
- $4,806,117
- $1,816,742
- $3,066,293
- $2,084,681
- $2,857,108
The next three on the list are Charles Howell III ($42,025,458), David Toms ($41,901,709) and Brandt Snedeker ($40,539,179).
Maybe the next $50 million man is the most recent $40 million man: Hideki Matsuyama. Now at $40,439,137, he is No. 25 on the all-time list and just 30 years old. His 31st birthday is Feb. 25 and he’s expected to be a force on the Tour for years to come.