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Top 15 Money Winners in Golf History

Everyone knows that a lot of money can be made in golf. Like with any sports, winning a big event can add millions to a golfer’s bank account. The Players Championship alone has over a $12 million prize! It doesn't take too long for many golfers to become rich and famous, as long as they have skill. 

Today, we’re going to go over some of the golfers that have earned the most money through the sport. Can you believe that 10 of these big wigs have over $50 million?! It’s hard to believe, especially since two are about to be added to the roster. 

While most of us already know number one, you may be surprised at some of the other golfers on this list. After taking a look at their stats, it’s pretty obvious why they’re all here!

Bubba Watson

Bubba Watson

Bubba Watson is one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour. In fact, in 2007, he had an average drive of 315.2 yards, hit a ball over 350 yards, and could generate a speed of up to 194 mph. It’s no surprise that he’s made the list of the top money winners.

Even though 2019 didn’t go so well for Watson, 2018 showed what he was made of. In 2018, he won the Travelers Championship and added a cool $2.6 million to his winnings. He’s also won two majors in 2012 and 2014. Right now, Bubba Watson sits at total earnings of $44.1 million. Let’s hope 2020 is better for him.

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Davis Love III

Davis Love III

Davis Love III has been playing golf since the ‘80s, so there’s no doubt that he was going to make the list. The two-time Ryder Cup captain has won a total of 21 tours, including the 2015 Wyndham Championship. At age 52, he’s the third-oldest player to ever win a PGA tour. Naturally, he’s got the paycheck to show all these accomplishments.  

This hall-of-famer has earned over $44.9 million during his career, but is it all over? In 2020, he’s set to begin a career as a CBS broadcaster. While he will still join championships, this new opportunity will limit Love to somewhat. He’s even said himself, “I will play select events, but my focus now shifts to broadcasting.”

(Tour Pro Golf Clubs/Davis Love III/CC BY 2.0 DEED/Flickr)

Zach Johnson

Zach Johnson

Zach Johnson joined the PGA tour in 2004 and began one of the most stunning streaks in golfing history. For 15 years, Johnson was consistently one of the top players in the game. For a decade, he was able to stay between the top 10 and top 50 in the world. However, 2019 landed a harsh blow.

Johnson fell out of the top 100 for the first time in 15 years. Still, no one can deny that he’s good. He’s picked up 12 victories, including two major championships – the Masters in 2007 and the Open Championship in 2015. Today, Zach Johnson has total earnings amounting to $45.3 million.

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Jason Day

Jason Day

Jason Day has had a rough time lately. In 2019, he was forced to withdraw from the Presidents Cup due to a back injury, something that had been plaguing him for a while. That being said, Day has been around since 2008 and has a total of 12 PGA tour wins. He’s also got three European wins under his belt.

Having spent some time as the number one player in the world, it isn’t a surprise he made this list. Day even beat Tiger at the 2019 The Challenge: Japan Skins. Overall, he’s earned quite a nice paycheck with current earnings above $45.9 million.  

(Omar Rawlings/Jason Day/CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED/Flickr)

Ernie Els

Ernie Els

The Big Easy has long had one of the sweetest swings in golf. Ever since joining the PGA tour in 1994, he’s had over 71 professional wins, 19 of which were PGA tour wins. Of those 19 wins, four of them were major championships. The rest of those wins are from a total of 28 European Tour wins, which is seventh of all time.

Ernie Els sure has had a great career, and he isn’t done yet. His total money winnings amount to a whopping $49.3 million. Considering how well he’s been doing, we wouldn’t be surprised if he crossed over to the $50 million threshold soon. Just one more big one.

(Omar Rawlings/Ernie Els/CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED/Flickr)

Sergio Garcia

Sergio Garcia

Sergio Garcia has long been considered one of the best players in the game, so it was pretty shocking that he hadn’t won a big championship…until 2017. That year, Garcia won the Masters, and it was a long time coming. He’s been playing on both the European and PGA tour since 1999, and he’s won a combined 26 wins for both.

Even though he didn’t win a major championship for a while, he still had wins in both The Players Championship (2008) and Wyndham Championship (2012). These big-purse wins put him at a total money winnings over $50 million.  

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Matt Kuchar

Matt Kuchar

Doesn’t it seem like Kuch is almost always at the top of the leaderboards? Well, there’s a good reason for that. Kuchar has more than 80 top-10 finishes in his career, and that means he usually gets a big paycheck to go along with those wins.

In total, he’s had nine PGA tour wins, with the biggest being the Players Championship in 2012. Kuch has been a fan favorite, and we’re guessing he’s just starting to get warmed up. His total earnings sit at $50.1 million.

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Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy has only been on the professional circuit since 2007, but he’s already reached the top of the list. How? Well, he has a total of 18 PGA Tour wins, including two PGA Championships (2012 and 2014), The Open Championship in 2014, and The Players Championship in 2019.

Recently, McIlroy has made the news about refusing the golf event in Saudi Arabia, stating it’s a “morality” issue. He may be turning down millions there, but McIlroy still has earned $51 million in winnings.  

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Adam Scott

Adam Scott

Adam Scott joined the PGA tour in 2003, and since then, he’s been breaking records. Scott was the only player this season to finish top 10 in both the Masters and the Players. He’s even passed Tiger and became the number one player on the Official World Golf Ranking for 11 weeks in 2014.

The 37-year-old Aussie has won 13 PGA Tours and 10 European Tours. Because of all these accomplishments, Scott has quite the bank account. His total winnings amount to $53.49 million. It won’t be long before he starts overtaking some of the others on this list!

(Tour Pro Golf Clubs/Adam Scott/CC BY 2.0 DEED/Flickr)

Justin Rose

Justin Rose

Justin Rose has had a really great career on both the PGA Tour and European Tour. He’s got a combined record of 23 wins in both tracks despite having joined the PGA tour in 2003. Rose famously won the U.S. Open in 2013, beating both Justin Day and Phil Mickelson. Now that’s an accomplishment!

Justin Rose is very clearly one of the top golfers in the industry, especially considering how many times he’s been the World Number one golfer. Overall, he has won a total of $53.5 million. Rose should be careful, though! Adam Scott is right on his tail.

(Michael Sovran/JUSTIN ROSE/PDM 1.0 DEED/Flickr)

Dustin Johnson

Dustin Johnson

DJ has had one of the most remarkable careers in golf, which makes it hard to believe he just joined the PGA Tour in 2008! Johnson became the first player (since Tiger Woods) to win at least once in each of his first seven years on tour. He also has five WGC wins, which is second only to the legendary Tiger.

Total, DJ has a total of 20 PGA Tour wins under his belt, but he didn’t get his first major victory until 2016. That year, he won the U.S. Open and made history. His total winnings take a big jump up to $61.7 million.

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Vijay Singh

Vijay Singh

Surprised to see Vijay Singh on the list? It makes sense after you take a look at the huge numbers he put up when he was full time on the PGA Tour. Joining in 1993, Singh would win the Masters in 2000, two PGA Championship victories, and 34 total wins – not including his 13 European wins.

Unfortunately, Singh was another golfer that suffered a back injury, and he was required to get a little R&R. After that, he had poor form, which resulted in him not winning a PGA Tour since 2008. Regardless, Singh is still at it and has $71.21 million in total winnings.

(Tour Pro Golf Clubs/Vijay Singh/CC BY 2.0 DEED/Flickr)

Jim Furyk

Jim Furyk

Jim Furyk turned pro in 1992, and the wins began rolling in a few years later. He has a total of 17 PGA Tour wins and ranked top-10 for over 440 weeks between 1999 and 2016. Furyk even holds the record for the lowest score in PGA Tour history, with a round of 58 during the 2016 Travelers Championship.

All that hard work and dedication certainly paid off – and paid well! Mr. 58 is the third-highest career money winners with over $71.23 million in his pocket. What will this golfer pull out next?

(Tour Pro Golf Clubs/Jim Furyk/CC BY 2.0 DEED/Flickr)

Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson joined the PGA Tour in 1992 and has had a really great career. Overall, he’s had a total of 51 wins, including 44 PGA Tour wins, which is ninth in the world. Some even refer to him as the next Jack Nicklaus (who has 73 wins in the PGA Tour).

Mickelson has always lived up to expectations. While he did have a stumble in 2014 due to injuries, he came back strong in 2018 and began to win once again. With $90.76 million in career winnings, it’s hard not to imagine where Mickelson would be if it weren’t for the legendary Tiger, who Mickelson has had to battle all through his prime years.  

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Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods

Of course Tiger Woods was going to be number one! Tiger is tied for first for the most PGA tour wins in history. Considering Sam Snead passed away in 2002, we’re guessing he’ll be first before long. On top of all those PGA Tour wins, Woods also has 40 wins in the European Tour!

Ever since he returned from back surgery, Tiger is looking good and has been adding to his numbers, having recently won the 2019 Masters Tournament. Can you guess how much he’s won? The answer is a jaw-dropping $120.5 million!

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