Prize money on the PGA Tour has exploded over the last several years.
There can be a lot of money won playing professional tournament golf, especially on the PGA Tour and especially in the last two decades. And especially in the last two seasons.
Prize money has exploded on the circuit thanks to the signature events as well as the four majors boosting their purses.
Because of the influx of cash, four of the top five single-seasons for money earned happened during the 2022-23 season. One golfer has set a record for three years in a row. And Tiger Woods’ 2005 season ($10,628,024) is now not in the top 10.
Note: This list does not count bonus money awarded at the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship.
It took four appearances at the Principal Charity Classic for Ernie Els to get his first win there, with the South Africa native simultaneously earning his first PGA Tour Champions win this season.
“It’s very special,” Els said. “I haven’t won for a while, and I’ve had quite a few chances. But it gets tougher when you don’t get it over the line.”
Els finished at 21-under 195, winning by two strokes.
The 54-year-old had two birdies on the front nine Sunday and three more on the back. He picked up an eagle on lucky number 13, which gave Els the padding needed for the win, even with making par on the final three holes.
“I was lucky enough to make birdie on 11,” Els said. “I didn’t need a very good approach, made a good putt. And then 12, but 13 was big to make eagle late on the back nine, that was key. Got me into a three-shot lead, and (I) kept with it.”
The win at the Wakonda Club marked the first PGA Tour Champions win of the season for Els, who entered the Principal Charity Classic ranked 16th in the Schwab Cup Standings through eight events.
He claimed the winner’s purse of $300,000, which brings his total winnings the $785,017 this season. Els has now finished in the top 10 three times this season, including third-place ties in the Regions Tradition and Chubb Classic and a tie for sixth at the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
Els finished two shots ahead of Stephen Ames, the tournament’s defending champion, but it was a close race throughout. Four players were tied for first after finishing the front nine: Ames, Rod Pampling, Ernie Els and Bernhard Langer.
Then, the front group started to split apart.
Ames picked up two birdies to start the back nine, then made par on 12 and 13, and saved par on 14. Els made par on 10, then picked up back-to-back birdies and an eagle on the next three holes to take a two-shot lead. Langer also hit par to start the back nine, then made three birdies in a row before a bogey on 14.
Els’ eagle on lucky number 13 that proved to be the winning shot in Sunday’s competition.
But holistically, he played his best tournament of the year, leading after the first two rounds and hanging on through the final day in Des Moines.
“I had a good game plan,” Els responded when asked about his three-day lead. “I stuck with it all three days. I’ve put the work in and you feel a bit more confident that every aspect of the game is there.
“Then you can just go out there and compete. It was a hell of a week. Everybody played well and just that one hole maybe got it for me. Number 13.”
Els – who thanked the greens staff for the “true championship course” and the weather for cooperating – plans to return to Des Moines.
“We as players love playing here. As long as I can, I’ll come back, especially if I keep winning.”
Ageless wonder Langer, who tore his Achilles tendon while playing pickleball on just four months ago, shot a 63 on Saturday, the 15th time the 66-year-old has shot his age or better on PGA Tour Champions. On Sunday, he shot 68 and tied for third alongside Duval and Pampling.
“They should lengthen it by at least 10 yards,” says 2000 Masters champ Vijay Singh.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Here’s a course change idea you don’t hear thrown around at Augusta National Golf Club very often: The iconic par-3 12th hole for the Masters Tournament should be lengthened because it’s become too easy.
Yet that’s exactly what 2000 tournament champion Vijay Singh would like to see happen to the 155-yard hole.
“We used to hit 7-irons and 6-irons and then it started going to 7-irons and 8-irons and it’s gone from 8-irons to 9-irons and the guys are hitting wedges now,” said Singh, who is playing in his 31st Masters. “They should lengthen it by at least 10 yards. I think it should go to at least 170. I think it would be a much more challenging hole if people were hitting a 6-iron or a 7-iron instead of a 9-iron or wedge.
Singh might be on to something.
Starting in 2018, the stroke average on No. 12 has gone down every year with the exception of 2022, when it was 3.233. Last year, it was 3.058 with 49 birdies, 47 bogeys and nine double bogeys or higher.
“It used to be a hole that you go to and everybody used to worry about it, distance-wise, to get the correct distance,” Singh said. “But now it’s ‘hit a 9-iron to the middle of the green.’”
Asked if he thought the club would ever lengthen it, Singh said “I hope so.”
Ben Crenshaw, who is almost as famous for his golf course architecture work as his two Masters titles, was asked what he thought of Singh’s idea.
“Ten yards? Actually, it’s not a bad idea,” said Crenshaw, who is retired from the Masters.
Luke List and Keegan Bradley are among Masters participants who believe it would be a bad idea. A real bad idea.
In fact, List laughed when he was told Singh wants to lengthen the hole.
“I’ll go on the record that I disagree with that,” List said. “It’s fun to have short par-3s, especially ones that are difficult. The wind is swirling there always. Guys are going to make 2s but you’re going see enough 5s. Does it need to be a 7- or 6-iron? I don’t think so.”
Bradley calls it a “perfect hole” that doesn’t need to be lengthened.
“I don’t agree with that,” Bradley said. “I just love that hole. It’s iconic. I wouldn’t do that. It’s tough, it’s tricky. If you hit a good shot you’ll have a good look at birdie. I think if you go a little farther (back with the tee) it could go a little weird.”
If it were to happen one day, it might be the most controversial course change in the history the course, of which there have been many, especially since nearly 300 yards were added in 2002.That trend has continued as the club tries to keep up with improved golf equipment technology and better-trained athletes. Twelve yards were added to the par-5 second hole this year, bringing the course yardage to 7,555 yards. It was 6,985 yards in 2001.
The 12th hole is considered the most famous hole at the Masters – and among the greatest par 3s anywhere for various reasons, from its beauty and the unpredictable swirling winds in Amen Corner that pay havoc with club selection.
That’s probably why at 155 yards, it is the only hole on the course whose yardage has not changed since the first Masters in 1934.
“That’s cool,” Bradley said.
Will Zalatoris and Tiger Woods walk to the No. 12 green during a practice round for the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Network)
Another par-3, the sixth hole, has had its yardage changed slightly. It was 185 in 1939, the first time Augusta National published hole yardages. It went to 190 yards in 1950 and has been at 180 yards since 1980.
If Singh is right, and the 12th has become too easy, that might explain why there has been little or no drama on that hole in the final round of the past four Masters.
It used to be that everyone stopped what they were doing to see what happened on the 12th hole. But the last time it was a pivotal hole was in 2019 when Francesco Molinari, Books Koepka and Tony Finau, who were battling Tiger Woods for the lead, all three went into the water and made double bogeys. Woods made par and was on his way to his fifth green jacket.
And don’t tell Jordan Spieth that No. 12 is an easy hole. Of course, he made a quadruple bogey 7 on No. 12 in 2016, losing his lead and ended up finishing tied for second place, three shots behind Danny Willett.
Every PGA Tour event has a handful or so of spots in the field to dole out to golfers who didn’t otherwise qualify.
Those spots may go to a past champion. They often are awarded to a rising star in the game. The strategy there is that perhaps the up-and-comer will remember the courtesy later in his pro career and will become a regular at that particular Tour stop.
Sometimes a sponsor exemption gets doled out to someone noteworthy as a means to drive interest in a tournament, such as former NFL quarterback Tony Romo, who got into the Charles Schwab Challenge, or LPGA star Lexi Thompson, who wowed the Las Vegas crowd last October before just missing the weekend cut at the Shriners Children’s Open.
According to the PGA Tour, since 1990 there have been just 12 golfers to win a tournament after getting a sponsor exemption. There’s been over 1,000 PGA Tour events in that time, proving the long odds a sponsor invite faces.
Here’s the list of those who won on the PGA Tour after receiving a sponsor exemption since 1990.
Chris Kirk now has a chance to join the short list.
The PGA Tour’s 2024 season is off and running.
The first event of the new year is in the books with Chris Kirk winning The Sentry on the Plantation course at Kapalua in Maui. He bested a field of 59 golfers who vied for a $20 million prize in the first signature event of the new year.
With that victory, Kirk now has a chance to join a short list of golfers who have put the career Hawaii double dip on their resumes.
Here’s a closer look at the six golfers who have won both The Sentry and the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Vijay and Qass Singh will be back to defend their title in Orlando.
Six past champions have confirmed their entry for the 2023 PNC Championship, including defending champions Vijay and Qass Singh.
Vijay will be joined by colleagues John Daly (winner in 2021), Justin Thomas (2020), David Duval (2016), Stewart Cink (2013) and Bernhard Langer (2005, 2006, 2014, 2019) for the annual parent-child event at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, Grande Lakes on Dec. 14-17.
“I can’t tell you what it meant to win last year with Qass after 16 attempts. This tournament is so special to us, and it is such an important week for our family every year,” said Vijay. “We love everything about the tournament, from playing amongst so many legends of the game, to getting to know their kids, to just spending quality time with my son as we enjoy this unique inside-the-ropes experience together. I have played in so many tournaments all around the world over the years, but it genuinely is hard to think of a week that I look forward to and enjoy more than the PNC Championship.”
This year’s event, the 12th with PNC Bank as the title sponsor, will be broadcast live on NBC, Golf Channel and Peacock. Last year the PNC Championship boasted a field with 73 major titles. The tournament features 20 players and their relatives competing in a two-day, 36-hole scramble for the Willie Park Trophy. To qualify, players must have won a major championship or the Players Championship, and their partner must not hold any status on a professional tour.
Some of the bronze plaques for the 176 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame are better than others.
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — It’s golf’s highest honor.
To be elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame is to be enshrined among the greatest. There have been only 176 men and women to be inducted in the Hall.
When the facility opened at World Golf Village in 1998, the members were commemorated with crystals but they were mounted in the floor and took up too much space for special events. So, the crystals were removed and bronze plaques replaced them. Some are better than others. According to the Florida Times Union, the plaques will not be relocated to Pinehurst, N.C., where the Hall will take up residency again in 2024.
Some of the plaques, it really helps to have the name written below it because the resemblance is minimal at best. See if you can name the Hall member.
Vijay Singh returned to victory lane on the PGA Tour Champions on Sunday but he needed a big assist from Paul Goydos to get there.
Playing a course where he won three times on the PGA Tour, Singh earned his fourth win overall at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club in Grand Blanc, Michigan, claiming the 2023 Ally Challenge for his first senior circuit win in five years.
Singh, 60, parred the 18th at nearly the same time some unfortunate circumstances were happening a hole behind him.
Leading by a shot on the 17th hole, Goydos hit the green on the par-3 and then putted to about three feet. From there, however, he needed another four putts to find the bottom of the jar, turning his advantage into a two-shot deficit.
Goydos blew his first putt past the hole and his comebacker caught a piece of the lip, returning to the spot where it was just a minute prior. After taking a few minutes to collect himself, he jabbed at the next putt, missing right and then he almost hit the tap-in before the ball came to rest. After picking up his ball out of the hole, he looked towards his caddie, crossed his arms, then stared at the hole in bewilderment for several moments. He would par the 18th to shoot a 71. Singh closed with a 68.
“I’m as shocked as anybody,” said Singh. “I guess for some reason I drive the ball very well here. Whenever I come here, tree-lined, I drive it well and I’ve putted well. My putting has been a mystery for a long time, but I’ve found a few things out the last few weeks and I’ve been putting really well.”
Due to heavy rain last week, the 54-hole tournament didn’t start until Saturday and was completed in two days.
Since the FedEx Cup Playoffs began in 2007, 13 different champions have been crowned. Rory McIlroy leads the way with three FedEx Cups to his name, surpassing Tiger Woods’ record in 2019. The two all-time greats are the only players to claim multiple FedEx Cups.
Here’s the roll call of players considered “local” to TPC Sawgrass and Ponte Vedra Beach who have won majors. It’s impressive.
Despite the best efforts of the PGA Tour and a younger demographic of players and media who are keeping an open mind, The Players Championship still can’t crack the public consciousness of joining The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship in being considered a major championship.
The Players will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024 so it’s had time. And the fact that it still isn’t widely recognized as a major has more to do with how entrenched the other four are.
Attitudes and history can change. When Bobby Jones was considered the best golf in the world in the 1920s and 1930s, he won 13 major championships. However, at the time, the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur were considered majors, along with the U.S. Open and British Open — largely because amateur golf was considered a higher level of competition since the professional game hadn’t yet blossomed and the Masters and the Augusta National Golf Club were still unrealized dreams by their founder — Jones.
Six of Jones’ majors were amateur events, five U.S, Opens and one British Open. And in 1930, when he won all four in one year, New York sportswriter George Trevor termed the feat, “the impregnable quadrilateral.”
Respect for Jones was so universal that gradually the Masters came to be thought of as a major, and when professionals such as Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson got into the prime of their careers, the PGA Championship also became more elevated.
Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus solidify the majors
The final piece of the puzzle in why the current four are accepted as majors was Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, whose powerful style of golf and charisma captured fans’ imagination. They especially cemented the Masters as perhaps the top dog of the grand slam events when they combined to win 10 times at Augusta.
Fast forward to the Tiger Woods Era. He had a poster of Jack Nicklaus on his wall at home as a young boy, with a list of Nicklaus’ 18 major championships. Woods dreamed of getting to that goal and he has 15, winning his last at the 2019 Masters — his fifth green jacket.
Woods followed the same script that Nicklaus and Palmer did: save his best for the majors, which only further served to keep their status at the top of the worldwide tournament food chain intact.
Majors history goes back nearly 160 years
Obviously, the majors have a rich history. The British Open is the oldest golf tournament in the world, having started in 1863. The U.S. Open launched in 1895, the PGA in 1916 and the Masters in 1934.
But the history of the world’s two main amateur events can’t be left in a dusty book. The U.S. Amateur began the same year as the U.S. Open and the British Amateur in 1885. Let’s just call them the amateur majors, which is both historically accurate and relevant to the modern game.
The history of those events also involves First Coast and South Georgia natives and those who have lived in the areas on a long-term basis. Six of those men have combined to win the four professional majors nine times. Six more have combined to win the amateur majors 11 times.
Here’s the roll call of players considered “local” to TPC Sawgrass and Ponte Vedra Beach who have won those 20 majors, listed on a chronological basis of when they won their first or only major:
