The money that a golf pro can make on the top professional golf tours is really staggering. Tiger Woods, for example, has earned over $120 million during his career.
But what about the professional golfers who aren’t playing well each week? How much money are lower-ranked players earning despite the poor play?
Here we take a look at what the worst players on the main tours are pulling in each year.
Founder, Editor
Ed is the founder and editor at EEE Golf. He’s been playing golf for over 20 years, competing in many top amateur events. He’s played courses all over the world and played with some of the best players in the game. His aim is to help educate people about the game of golf and give insights into the sport he loves most.
How Much Does The Worst Professional Golfer Make?
How Much Does The Worst Pro Golfer Make?
The worst player on the PGA Tour in 2023 made $8,208 and finished in 240th place on the money list. In 2023 Richard Johnson played in just five events and only made the cut in one of those events.
The player who made the least on the DP World Tour in 2022 was Velten Meyer who picked up €2,650.43 from just one event.
However, determining who the worst golfer on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour (European Tour) and what they made can depend on a number of factors.
Some golfers on tour won’t have full status and so can only get entry into a few events during the season.
This means their chance of earning money only comes down to the few events they play in each year. That obviously puts a lot of pressure on those events and if they don’t play well, they won’t have much or any tournament winnings.
Looking at the worst player to keep their playing rights is another good stat.
For the PGA Tour, the top 125 players retain their PGA Tour card for the following season. In 2023, Nico Echavarria finished in 125th place on the rankings and made $951,627.
On the DP World Tour, the player who just about retained his full playing rights for the next season was Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, finishing 117th and earning €319,842.49 in 2022.
This is, however, just looking at the top-tier tours, not the secondary tours such as the Korn Ferry Tour and the Challenge Tour in Europe.
Prize money is far less at this level compared to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, so if you’re not playing well, you’re making almost no money.
Even below that, you’ve got the mini tours, where many golf pros start out to try and gain experience competing for a living and playing competitively.
These players are playing for even less money and those missing the cut in every event are making absolutely nothing.
Ed’s Thoughts ⛳
Professional golf is a tough nut to crack. When you’re at the top, life feels easy, with huge pay cheques and luxury living.
But for those struggling with their games, it’s a real test of will power to keep on going and keep the dream alive.
How Much Does The Worst LPGA Golfer Make?
The worst player on the LPGA Tour for 2022 earned just $4,660 from four events, making the cut once.
Ranked 199th, Vicky Hurst finished lowest in the rankings in the Race To CME Globe, however, she did only play in a few events.
Out of the players who retained a full LPGA Tour card for the following season, Caroline Inglis made a total of $164,798 in 2022, compared to the leader in the money list, Lydia Ko who made $4,364,403.
How Much Does The Worst PGA Tour Champions Golfer Make?
On the PGA Tour Champions, the player who finished lowest in the Schwab Cup money list was Mike Balliet who earned just $736.
Final Thoughts
The great thing about professional golf is when you’re at the top, the sport is very lucrative.
But even if you’re not one of the top guys on the PGA Tour, you can still earn just under a million bucks and keep your playing rights.
Of course, pro golf isn’t quite as easy as that. For every PGA player, there’s thousands of other professional golfers out there just trying to make a living.
FAQs
What does the worst player on the PGA make?
The worst player on the PGA Tour makes less than $10,000, but this is only because they don’t play in many events as their playing status is limited.