The Masters Tournament is the most famous golf tournament in the world, with the membership of Augusta National Golf Club hosting the invitational event at their club in Georgia.
Each year, the club pays out millions in prize money to the players who compete in their prestigious event. In 2026, the total purse is $22.5 million, with the winner taking home $4.5 million. Even the professional golfers who miss the cut are paid $25,000 for completing two rounds.
With so much money going out to the players, it often leads casual golf fans to wonder how much it costs to enter the Masters Tournament and play in it.
The answer is that it doesn't cost anything to play in the Masters Tournament. The club invites players to compete at their leisure, using published criteria that determines the annual field. However, players do not have to pay to play in the competition.
Augusta National can fund the annual purse through a variety of income streams, including annual sales of tickets, hospitality, merchandise and concessions -- a total that runs well into nine figures annually. The club also has corporate partners who support the tournament. The membership is also among the most successful people in the United States and the world.
In other words, finding the money to pay out the purse isn't an issue.
Even on the PGA Tour, players who are PGA Tour members do not have to pay entry fees to compete in tournaments. That's one of the benefits of membership. The initiation fee to join the PGA Tour is $100, and the annual dues are also $100. The fee to play in open qualifying is $500, although that fee is waived for PGA Tour members.
