The PGA of America has increased the 2025 PGA Championship prize money to a record $19 million, increasing the purse by $500,000 for this year's event.
The PGA of America will continue to pay 18 percent of the PGA Championship purse to the winner, which aligns with how the PGA Tour typically pays first-place prize money in their regular events. That compares to the Masters, where Augusta National has increased that winner's share to 20 percent.
In 2025, then, the PGA Championship winner will earn $3.42 million.
The $3.42 million payday will mean the PGA Championship winner makes less than the winners of the PGA Tour's standard Signature events, which awards $3.6 million to the champion. The winners of player-hosted Signature events earn $4 million. Those select events, with a minimum field of 72 players, have a cut to the top 50 players and ties, as well as any player within 10 shots of the lead, after 36 holes. That $4 million payday represents 20 percent of the purse.
Join Golf News Net for $10 per year, and go ad-free!The $3.42 million first-place check is also less than that of the $4 million awarded to the individual winners of LIV Golf events.
However, The Players Championship still offers the biggest first-place prize for a single tournament in golf at $4.5 million on a $25 purse, with a 144-player starting field.
Missing the cut at the PGA Championship also lands a payday, with players who miss the cut earning $4,000 each, as all are professionals in the field.
With a little more financial incentive at the top of the table, a PGA Championship champion will get even more than they already earn by winning the event, including the Wanamaker trophy (and a replica after a year of having the original), invites to the PGA Championship for life, exemptions into the other three majors for five years, a five-year PGA Tour exemption, 750 FedEx Cup points, critical Ryder Cup points (where applicable) and so much more.
