Tour News
Many Surprises Among the Top-50 Earners in Golf in 2016

We’ve come a long way from the days of Walter Hagen, when pros weren’t even allowed in the clubhouse at tour stops… or even Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson, when touring pros were still club pros when not on Tour. Such was the way the game paid until the television era. It’s not just a matter of adjusting for today’s dollars; those guys made peanuts on course.
Cruising along in Tiger Woods’ wide wake, today’s top pros can not only stack serious cash on course, but also ink lucrative endorsement deals that the Harry Vardons and James Braids of golf history could never have fathomed.
Golf Digest put together its annual rundown of the game’s top earners, which includes on-course income and an estimate of off-course earnings. Here are some highlights, and you can check out the full article here.
At number 50…well, what would you guess the No. 50 earner pocketed? It’s Padraig Harrington at more than $5 million.
World No. 1 Lydia Ko is 44th at $5.9 million, earning more off course ($3.25 million) than on ($2.69 million).
Davis Love III (No. 38) earned $6 million off the course in 2016.
Martin Kaymer (No. 35) plays on the European Tour primarily and makes six times as much off course ($6 million) as on ($1.78 million).
Miguel Angel Jimenez (No. 32) doesn’t just look like he lives the good life, he can afford to, grossing nearly $8 million last year.
Not surprisingly, few golfers inside the top-30 earned more on course than off.
Colin Montgomerie (No. 20) earned $7.5 million off the course last year.
At No. 19, Greg Norman earned $10 million off course. A little surprising it wasn’t more given the range of his business interests.
Jack Nicklaus (No. 6) and Arnold Palmer (No. 2) combined for more than $60 million in earnings.
Phil Mickelson ($33.5 million) and Tiger Woods ($34.6 million) earned nearly the same amount off course.
Rory McIlroy (No. 1) earned $17.5 million on course. He earned nearly twice that amount off ($32 million).
Again: Full article here
And here are Golf Digest’s top 10 earners
10. Gary Player: $15 million total
9. Adam Scott: $15 million total
8. Jason Day: $19.5 million total
7. Dustin Johnson: $19.7 million total
6. Jack Nicklaus: $20 million total
5. Jordan Spieth: $30.4 million total
4. Tiger Woods: $34.6 million total
3. Phil Mickelson: $37.7 million total
2. Arnold Palmer: $40 million total
1. Rory McIlroy: $49.5 million total
Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2025 Wyndham Championship

GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.
Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.
Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.
General Albums
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2025 3M Open

GolfWRX is live from the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities!
Back from our overseas journey, we have plenty for you to digest from Minnesota, including WITBs and in-hand looks at some pretty impressive putters.
Check out links to all our photos below.
General Albums
- 2025 3M Open – Tuesday #1
- 2025 3M Open – Tuesday #2
- 2025 3M Open – Tuesday #3
- 2025 3M Open – Tuesday #4
WITB Albums
- Luke List – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Isaiah Salinda – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Akshay Bhatia – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Kaito Onishi – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Rickie Fowler – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Seamus Power – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Chris Kirk – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Vince Whaley – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Andrew Putnam – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- David Lipsky – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Thomas Campbell – Minnesota PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2025 3M Open
- Max Herendeen – WITB – 2025 3M Open
Pullout Albums
- Rickie’s custom Joe Powell persimmon driver – 2025 3M Open
- Custom Cameron T-9.5 – 2025 3M Open
- Tom Kim’s custom prototype Cameron putter – 2025 3M Open
- New Cameron prototype putters – 2025 3M Open
- Zac Blair’s latest Scotty acquisition – 2025 3M Open
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2025 Open Championship

GolfWRX was live this week across the pond for The Open Championship! Check out links to all our galleries from Royal Portrush below.
General Albums
- 2025 The Open Championship – Sunday #1
- 2025 The Open Championship – Monday #1
- 2025 The Open Championship – Monday #2
- 2025 Open Championship – Monday #3
- 2025 The Open Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 The Open Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 The Open Championship – Wednesday #1
Pullout Albums
- Cobra’s 153rd Open Championship staff bag – 2025 The Open Championship
- Srixon’s Open Championship staff bag – 2025 The Open Championship
- Scotty Cameron 2025 Open Championship putter covers – 2025 The Open Championship
- TaylorMade’s 153rd Open Championship staff bag – 2025 The Open Championship
- Shane Lowry – testing a couple of Cameron putters – 2025 The Open Championship
- New Scotty Cameron Phantom Black putters(and new cover & grip) – 2025 The Open Championship
- FootJoy x Harris Tweed limited-edition shoes – 2025 The Open Championship
- Nike “Open Championship” collection shoes, bags and hoodies – 2025 The Open Championship
Messico 9
Feb 13, 2017 at 6:46 pm
Spieth will get to number 4 this year….
After he starts charging for autographs
Charlie
Feb 14, 2017 at 10:44 am
Haha! Love this…