The first thought that will come to the mind of the 2026 PGA Championship winner is: When can I lift the Rodman Wanamaker Trophy?
One of the most prestigious pieces of crystal in the game, the Wanamaker trophy has been won by the greats, and this time last year, Scottie Scheffler could say he owned this famous piece of silverware.
But as well as this rather oversized lump of silverware, Scheffler also played for the lion’s share of the $19,000,000 prize purse on offer in Charlotte, North Carolina, which was half a million more than the previous year when the championship was played at Valhalla and won by Xander Schauffele.
Scheffler won $3,420,000, which is more than double what Jason Dufner won in 2013 at Oak Hill. He banked $1,445,000, which shows how inflated prize money has become in the men’s professional game.
In 2026, the winner of the PGA Championship, Aaron Rai, will bank $3,690,000 from the $20,500,000 prize fund. So, the payout has increased by $15 million at Aronimink. Gradual increases seem to still be the direction of travel of prize money in the game.
In 2003, the prize money for the winner at the PGA Championship crossed the $1 million mark for the first time, and this was when Shaun Micheel beat Chad Campbell to the trophy to win his sole major title.
In 1998, Vijay Singh won the PGA Championship, and this was the first year the total winner’s payout crossed the $500,000 threshold. We are truly living in a different era when it comes to prize money.
Jim Barnes was the first-ever winner of the PGA Championship in 1916. The Englishman beat Jock Hutchison in the first edition of the match play era and he won $500 at Siwanoy Country Club in New York.
So far, we have seen two majors – the Masters, which increased its purse to $22.5 million in 2026. Rory McIlroy won the $4.5 million winner’s cheque.
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PGA Championship prize money 2026
Below is an image of the total PGA Championship payout in 2026, as well as previous years further down.
2025
Purse: $19,000,000
Winner: $3,420,000 (Scottie Scheffler)
T2: Bryson DeChambeau, Harris English, Davis Riley – $1,418,666
T5: Jhonattan Vegas. Taylor Pendrith, J.T. Poston – $617,036
T8: Joaquin Niemann, Ben Griffin, Denny McCarthy, Ryan Gerard, Joe Highsmith, Matt Fitzpatrick, Keegan Bradley, Jon Rahm, Si Woo Kim – $454,781
Last place: Ben An – $23,420
2024
Purse: $18,500,000
Winner: $3,330,000 (Xander Schauffele)
2023
Purse: $17,500,000
Winner: $3,150,000 (Brooks Koepka)
2022
Purse: $15,000,000
Winner: $2,700,000 (Justin Thomas)
2021
Purse: $12,000,000
Winner: $2,160,000 (Phil Mickelson)
2020
Purse: $11,000,000
Winner: $1,980,000 (Collin Morikawa)
2019
Purse: $11,000,000
Winner: $1,980,000 (Brooks Koepka)
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2018
Purse: $11,000,000
Winner: $1,980,000 (Brooks Koepka)
2017
Purse: $10,500,000
Winner: $1,890,000 (Justin Thomas)
2016
Purse: $10,000,000
Winner: $1,800,000 (Jimmy Walker)
2015
Purse: $10,000,000
Winner: $1,800,000 (Jason Day)
2014
Purse: $9,913,000
Winner: $1,800,000 (Rory McIlroy)
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What do you make of the prize money for the second major of the year? Will it just continue to increase in the years to come? Tell NCG on X
