LIV star above Tiger Woods, and Jack Niklaus to have won the most prize money at Masters
Jack Niklaus is the most successful player in Masters history with six wins. Tiger Woods, currently on his 26th outing at Augusta, won the coveted Green Jacket five times. However, three-time Phil Mickelson beat both of them to become the highest earner in the competition’s history.
Mickelson earned a total of $9,773,317 from the competition. The Lefty first won the prestigious event in 2004. He won $1,117,000 for the win. He later bagged $1,260,000 for winning his second title in 2006 and $1,350,000 for winning his third in 2010. It is pertinent Mickelson’s stellar record at The Masters played a big role in earning him the whopping sum.
The LIV golfer has 12 top-10 finishes, with the latest coming last year. The ace golfer, elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012, carded 7-under 65 in the final round of the 2023 Masters to finish T2 alongside Brooks Koepka.
The then 52-year-old golfer watched Jon Rahm lift his maiden Masters trophy, while he became the oldest golfer to finish in the top 10 of the competition. Tiger Woods withdrew from the competition citing health issues.
Top-10 highest earners at the Masters
As for the rest of the top earners list, Tiger Woods sits second behind Phil Mickelson with a total of $9,598,236. The 15-time Major winner is just $200,000 off of the leader.
Interestingly, Woods would have been able to catch up to the top spot if he finished inside the top 22 while missed the cut this weekend. However, this seems unlikely as Mickelson looks like he is making the cut comfortably.
2015 Masters winner Jordan Spieth is third on the all-time earners list with $6,015,828. Reigning champion Jon Rahm sits fourth on the list with $5,063,017 in the bank, while 2020 champion Dustin Johnson sits fifth with $4,627,235.
Justin Rose, who’s made 18 visits to Augusta, sits sixth with $4,403,765. Adam Scott finishes the top 10 with $3,858,307 from 22 visits.
Listed below are the top-10 highest earners in Masters history:
- 1. Phil Mickelson - $9,773,317
- 2. Tiger Woods - $9,598,236
- 3. Jordan Spieth - $6,015,828
- 4. Jon Rahm - $5,063,017
- 5. Dustin Johnson - $4,627,235
- 6. Justin Rose - $4,403,765
- 7. Rory McIlroy - $4,167,521
- 8. Bubba Watson - $4,121,230
- 9. Hideki Matsuyama - $3,948,867
- 10. Adam Scott - $3,858,307
It is pertinent to note that Jack Niklaus fails to make the list due to the disparity in the prize money payout. 2001 is the first time a Masters champion received over $1 million from the event. Tiger Woods won then.
Interestingly, Jon Rahm won $3,240,000 for his win in 2023. This is a $2 million rise in the prize money over two decades.