Scottie Scheffler claimed his second FedEx Cup title by winning the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta. That victory earned him $10 million in bonus money and pushed his career total to $130,390,661. This made Scheffler the highest-earning player in PGA Tour history, surpassing Tiger Woods who had held the record since 2000.
Woods had been at $120,999,166 since his last appearance on tour in the 2024 Masters, according to orlandosentinel.com. Scheffler entered the week with a career total of $120,999,166 and left with more than $10 million ahead of Woods. The win marked Scheffler’s 22nd victory on the PGA Tour.
He has now been ranked No. 1 in the world since May 2023. Scheffler’s rise to the top of the earnings list reflects changes in prize money across the PGA Tour over the past two decades. In 2022, the arrival of LIV Golf prompted the PGA Tour to increase purses significantly to retain players.
This season, there were 15 events with prize funds of $20 million or more. Woods never played in a tournament with a $10 million purse during his peak years from 1997 to 2009. Scheffler earned $23 million in bonus money last week by leading the FedEx Cup points standings.
The FedEx Cup finale has counted as official money since 2023. The 2024 Masters showed how much prize money has grown, with Woods finishing last and earning only $44,000 at age 48. Scheffler won that Masters and moved to No. 12 on the career earnings list with $57,658,464.
He has earned just over $72.7 million in his last 50 PGA Tour events over two years and four months. Scheffler said the large purses today are a result of Tiger’s influence on golf. He did not view his achievement as breaking a Tiger record.
Scheffler has now earned more than $130 million in his PGA Tour career, according to a report from CBS Sports. He is currently more than $11 million ahead of Rory McIlroy among active players. McIlroy was looking to pass Woods at East Lake but finished with a final-round 69 and did not pass Woods, golfdigest.com reported.
McIlroy is now at $119,555,515, just under Woods’ total. Justin Rose ranks among active players with $79,356,373 in earnings. Rose is at age 46 and has had a strong career, but still trails the top three players significantly.
Scheffler’s dominance in recent years has led to his record-breaking earnings. With new events like the PGA Tour Championship Series planned for 2028, Scheffler could reach $200 million if he continues at his current level. The gap between Scheffler and other top players is growing as prize money increases.
Tiger Woods had held the No. 1 spot on the earnings list for nearly 26 years, from September 2000 until Sunday. Scheffler’s win at East Lake was his 22nd PGA Tour victory and his fourth major championship. Woods has 82 career wins and 15 majors, still the most in PGA Tour history.
Scheffler’s success is a sign of how much the game has evolved since Woods’ era.
IMAGE: Scheffler at the Travelers Championship in 2024. Photo: NickB1717 / Wikimedia, taken 2024-06-20, CC BY-SA 4.0