PGA Tour’s flagship event, the Players Championship, is up and running. One of the many ‘elevated’ events on the brand-new schedule, the tournament is considered by many to be on equal footing to the major championships. And with a bump in purses and prize money, the Players Championship is on course to break existing records.
What makes this year’s Players Championship special?
Debuting in 1974 on the tour, the Players Championship has always been one of the special events on the PGA Tour. One of the biggest attractions has been its purses, which, at one point, were higher than any other golf tournament in the world.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The tournament has only added to its glamour in recent years, with the world’s best players vying for a share of the lucrative prizes. But the increase in purses has been unprecedented, which can be observed from the recent rise.
Merely three years earlier, Rory McIlroy won the title and was awarded prize money of $2.25 million. To put that figure in context, the winner of this year’s Players Championship will receive an eye-watering $4.5 million, which is double that of the winner’s share three years ago.
Incredibly, this year’s runner-up will cash in $2.725 million, which is more than what Justin Thomas earned after winning the 2021 Players Championship.
The purse also receives a significant bump from the last edition of the tournament. The purse for the 2022 Players Championship stood at $20 million. Most of the elevated events on the tour this year possess the same figure.
Yet, this year’s Players Championship will have a purse of $25 million, which stands on equal footing to the lucrative LIV Golf Series’ events. It remains the highest amount offered by the tournament organizers ever.
As usual, the competition will be played at the iconic TPC Sawgrass and will feature Official World Golf Ranking points on offer. The winner is set to receive 80 points, which is merely 20 points off the major championship stake.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Prize money breakdown at the 2023 Players Championship
POSITION | MONEY |
1st | $4,500,000 |
2nd | $2,725,000 |
3rd | $1,725,000 |
4th | $1,225,000 |
5th | $1,025,000 |
6th | $906,250 |
7th | $843,750 |
8th | $781,250 |
9th | $731,250 |
10th | $681,250 |
11th | $631,250 |
12th | $581,250 |
13th | $531,250 |
14th | $481,250 |
15th | $456,250 |
16th | $431,250 |
17th | $406,250 |
18th | $381,250 |
19th | $356,250 |
20th | $331,250 |
21st | $306,250 |
22nd | $281,250 |
23rd | $261,250 |
24th | $241,250 |
25th | $221,250 |
26th | $201,250 |
27th | $193,750 |
28th | $186,250 |
29th | $178,750 |
30th | $171,250 |
31st | $163,750 |
32nd | $156,250 |
33rd | $148,750 |
34th | $142,500 |
35th | $136,250 |
36th | $130,000 |
37th | $123,750 |
38th | $118,750 |
39th | $113,750 |
40th | $108,750 |
41st | $103,750 |
42nd | $98,750 |
43rd | $93,750 |
44th | $88,750 |
45th | $83,750 |
46th | $78,750 |
47th | $73,750 |
48th | $69,750 |
49th | $66,250 |
50th | $64,250 |
51st | $62,750 |
52nd | $61,250 |
53rd | $60,250 |
54th | $59,250 |
55th | $58,750 |
56th | $58,250 |
57th | $57,750 |
58th | $57,250 |
59th | $56,750 |
60th | $56,250 |
61st | $55,750 |
62nd | $55,250 |
63rd | $54,750 |
64th | $54,250 |
65th | $53,750 |
Who do you think will reign supreme at the Players Championship this week? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watch This Story | Tiger Woods once confessed to being humbled by 7-year olds