One of the reasons the Team USA players received so little support when some pushed to be paid to play at the Ryder Cup was the amount of money they already make by teeing it up on the PGA Tour.
Scottie Scheffler is on the cusp of passing the $100 million mark for prize money earned on the PGA Tour across his career. The world number one did not become a full member of the PGA Tour until 2020.
Meanwhile, Sepp Straka received $355,000 for finishing 30th at the Tour Championship. The Austrian was seven over par for the week.
Nick Dunlap was 11 over par and in last place at the final signature event of the season, the Travelers Championship. He still received $39,450.
The riches available to golfers are difficult for most to get their head around. So perhaps some will be interested to know what percentage of prize money PGA Tour players usually get to hold onto.
The percentage of prize money PGA Tour golfers tend to keep
There is a stereotype about how much golfers make. While that perception is valid in a lot of cases, it may surprise some more casual fans to know just how difficult it can be for players to make a living as they try to make their way to the PGA Tour.
It turns out that those at the highest level expect to hold onto less than a third of what they win – as Kevin Kisner told Market Swings in a recent video.
“I usually call it about 30 per cent,” he said, when asked what percentage of prize money they keep.
“Eight per cent to a caddie, three per cent to a coach, one per cent to a putting coach. What’s that up to? 12? Then you’ve got the state you’ve played in, taxes, South Carolina is seven per cent taxes. Then your federal taxes. You can do the math pretty quick.”
How much Kevin Kisner has earned in PGA Tour prize money across his career
Kisner appears to be coming towards the end of his playing career. He finished 194th in the FedEx Cup standings after the 2025 season, while he is down to 731st in the world rankings.
To date, he has made $29,466,521 in prize money, with four wins coming along the way.
His comments would suggest that he has still kept more than $8.8 million in that time. Meanwhile, he will have his sponsors, and has been associated with Callaway for much of his career.
In fairness to Kisner, he did not appear to be moaning about the situation at all. It was refreshing to hear a definitive answer. But clearly, there will be plenty of players who feel that they are on the receiving end of a rough deal.
However, with their earnings still in the millions, it is unlikely that many fans will feel too sorry for the PGA Tour’s best.
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