Money in golf is not what it once was. Over the last few decades, PGA Tour earnings have skyrocketed. We wanted to take a closer look at how these numbers have evolved. Here are the top PGA Tour money leaders for the last 35 years. We looked at tournament earnings, not bonuses to create this list.
Best versus worst year
The highest annual earnings belong to Scottie Scheffler in 2024. He earned $29,228,357. The lowest annual total on the list was Corey Pavin in 1991, earning $979,430. While this was a respectable sum at the time, things have changed.
The $979,430 earned in 1991 would be roughly $2.3 million in today’s dollars when adjusted for inflation. It’s still a long way from the $29 million mark set in 2024.
Tiger Woods dominates. Again.
Tiger Woods appears as the top earner on the PGA Tour 10 times. He and Vijay Singh were the first players to cross that $10-million-dollar mark. Singh also deserves recognition for his consistent presence at the top. He was the leading earner three times.
Don’t leave out Justin Thomas
Justin Thomas went on quite a run in 2017, 2018 and 2020. He was the leading money winner but never earned as much in a single season as Jordan Spieth did in 2015. In fact, it took until 2022 for Scottie Scheffler to surpass the $12 million that Spieth made in 2015.
Here are the PGA Tour Leading Money winners for the past 35 years
| Year | Golfer | Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Scottie Scheffler | $29,228,357 |
| 2023 | Scottie Scheffler | $21,014,342 |
| 2022 | Scottie Scheffler | $14,046,910 |
| 2021 | Jon Rahm | $7,705,933 |
| 2020 | Justin Thomas | $7,344,040 |
| 2019 | Brooks Koepka | $9,684,006 |
| 2018 | Justin Thomas | $8,694,821 |
| 2017 | Justin Thomas | $9,921,560 |
| 2016 | Dustin Johnson | $9,365,185 |
| 2015 | Jordan Spieth | $12,030,465 |
| 2014 | Rory McIlroy | $8,280,096 |
| 2013 | Tiger Woods | $8,553,439 |
| 2012 | Rory McIlroy | $8,047,952 |
| 2011 | Luke Donald | $6,683,214 |
| 2010 | Matt Kuchar | $4,910,477 |
| 2009 | Tiger Woods | $10,508,163 |
| 2008 | Vijay Singh | $6,601,094 |
| 2007 | Tiger Woods | $10,867,052 |
| 2006 | Tiger Woods | $9,941,563 |
| 2005 | Tiger Woods | $10,628,024 |
| 2004 | Vijay Singh | $10,905,166 |
| 2003 | Vijay Singh | $7,573,907 |
| 2002 | Tiger Woods | $6,912,625 |
| 2001 | Tiger Woods | $5,687,777 |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods | $9,188,321 |
| 1999 | Tiger Woods | $6,616,585 |
| 1998 | David Duval | $2,591,031 |
| 1997 | Tiger Woods | $2,066,833 |
| 1996 | Tom Lehman | $1,780,159 |
| 1995 | Greg Norman | $1,654,959 |
| 1994 | Nick Price | $1,499,927 |
| 1993 | Nick Price | $1,478,557 |
| 1992 | Fred Couples | $1,344,188 |
| 1991 | Corey Pavin | $979,430 |
| 1990 | Greg Norman | $1,165,477 |
| 1989 | Tom Kite | $1,395,278 |
The post 35 Years of PGA Tour Money Leaders: The Biggest Earner Every Year appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
