With LIV Golf offering purses of $25m in each of its regular events, and with the PGA Tour having significantly increased its prize money in an attempt to match its big-money rival, tournaments offering multi-million dollar prize money to their best-performing players are now commonplace.
But how do the top earners on the PGA Tour compare to those on LIV Golf so far in 2024?
The top 20 of highest earners across both circuits this season sees eight from the PGA Tour and 12 from LIV Golf, and it is two players from the more established outfit in first and second on the list.
PGA Tour player Scottie Scheffler’s season has been exceptional. Victory over Tom Kim in a playoff at the Travelers Championship gave the American his sixth win this season, with arguably his only performance that could be deemed a failure so far being a T41 at the US Open.
Scheffler has also saved his best form for the most lucrative events. The American has claimed wins at four of the PGA Tour’s signature events this season, as well as its flagship tournament, The Players Championship, and first Major of the year, The Masters, which have helped him stand far ahead of his nearest rival on the combined money list at $28,148,691.
The player immediately beneath him is Xander Schauffele, whose most significant payday this year came with $3.3m for his win at the PGA Championship. Schauffele followed that up with a second Major win at The Open to claim another $3.1m, while he been admirably consistent throughout this season. Schauffele has yet to miss a cut, though he still lags the World No.1 significantly in money earned, with $15,867,160.
In third place is the highest-earning LIV golfer of the season so far, Chilean Joaquin Niemann. The Torque GC captain won $4m for each of his two wins, at Mayakoba and Jeddah, while he has seven other top 10 finishes, including T2 at LIV Golf United Kingdom, to see his prize money at $14,515,665 for the season so far.
Fourth on the list is another LIV golfer, Bryson DeChambeau, who has amassed $12,199,467, with most of that coming from Majors. The Crushers GC captain finished with T6 at The Masters and runner-up at the PGA Championship, while he claimed victory at the US Open. The latter gave him the biggest payout of his career at $4.3m.
Another LIV golfer, Sergio Garcia, is in fifth, mainly thanks to his form on the circuit, including two runner-up finishes and a maiden win at LIV Golf Andalucia. The Spaniard is currently on $11,421,422.
Tyrrell Hatton is another LIV Golf star enjoying a big season in the League. He won LIV Golf Nashville and finished T2 in its United Kingdom event, helping his earnings swell to $11,169,046.
Hatton's Legion XIII teammate Jon Rahm stands seventh on the money list as he enjoys a consistent season that has seen him finish in the top 10 of every LIV event he has completed (he withdrew from LIV Golf Houston with injury). He claimed his maiden title in the League at the JCB Golf & Country Club tournament, leaving him with earnings of $11,017,522 for the season.
In eighth is Rory McIlroy. He suffered a heartbreaking defeat to DeChambeau at Pinehurst No.2 Major the US Open, but it still earned him the sizeable consolation of $2,322,000 in winnings.
Overall, McIlroy can also look back on another successful season so far, which included wins at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and Wells Fargo Championship, giving him earnings of $10,353,190 as things stand.
Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner Wyndham Clark is ninth on the list with $9,912,305 while LIV Golf's Dean Burmester completes the top 10 with $8,689,741 helped by his win at its Miami event.
LIV's Cameron Smith is 11th, with PGA Tour stars Sahith Theegala, Ludvig Aberg, Collin Morikawa and Hideki Matsuyama taking up the next four slots. LIV Golf stars then dominate the remaining places to 20th, including two of its biggest names, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson.
Below is the list of the combined top 20 highest earners on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf so far this season.
