This week sees the last WGC-Match Play at Austin Country Club for the foreseeable future.
While PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has hinted it may return at some point, if it is to be the final time it is in the schedule, the event, which is co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, seems destined to go out in style.
As well as a predictably stellar field, including eight of the world’s top 10, the tournament will also have a record purse of $20m, an enormous jump on last year’s prize fund of $12m.
Back then, Scottie Scheffler reached the World No.1 position for the first time thanks to his win, and claimed a substantial $2.1m for his efforts. This year, though, whoever wins will take home an incredible $3.5million. While that’s still $1m less than the prize money Scheffler claimed for his victory in The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass earlier in the month, it is a figure that was virtually unprecedented just a year ago.
Of course, much has changed since then, with the introduction of designated events to counter the LIV Golf threat. This week’s tournament is the sixth such event since the turn of the year, hence the eye-catching prize money.
Aside from The Players Championship, the Sentry Tournament of Champions, WM Phoenix Open, Genesis Invitational and Arnold Palmer Invitational have each benefitted from the boost in profile – and purses – this year.
However, while the latter three had identical purses to this week’s tournament, the distribution of them was slightly different. That means the winner’s share this week will be $100,000 lower than the other $20m tournaments in 2023.
In contrast, the runner-up will receive $2.2m this week, $20,000 more than those who finished second in the previous tournaments. Meanwhile, even the player finishing in 64th will receive $66,667 for his three days of action.
Jon Rahm has been the big earner on the PGA Tour this year thanks largely to his three wins including two in designated events. That momentum has stalled slightly in recent weeks thanks to his disappointing tie for 39th in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and withdrawal through illness in The Players Championship the following week.
Victory for the Spaniard this week, though, would see him within striking distance of Scheffler’s total earnings for last year, highlighting just how swelled the purses have become this year in comparison to last.
As well as the substantial financial incentive, the winner of this week’s event will also…
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