LIV Golf vs PGA Tour: Highest Paid Golfers of 2024, Ranked

If there is one factor that PGA Tour and LIV Golf officials can agree on, it's that professional golfers are earning more each season. Before 2020, it was almost unthinkable that a golfer would pocket prize money at par with an MLB icon.

But Scottie Scheffler's 2024 earnings are just $2M shy of Shohei Ohtani's yearly pay from his contract. But is the world no.1 also the no.1 in the money game this year? The list of top-five highest-paid golfers is a bit more surprising.

Jon Rahm ($230M) The Spaniard remains at the top of the list thanks to his $350M contract with LIV Golf. Per a Forbes , he has earned half of it upfront, giving him a massive edge. Jon Rahm has pocketed $38,350,866 this year, more than half of which ($18M) is a bonus for topping the season-long individual leaderboard. The two-time major winner also nabbed $57,200 for a T45 at the Masters and $451,833 for a T7 at the Open Championship.

Scottie Scheffler ($82M) If we solely go by on-course earnings this Dallas resident outmatches everyone. Scottie Scheffler 's seven PGA Tour wins, and nine further top-tens have put over $29M in his pocket. If you add the FedEx Cup bonus ($25M) and the COMCAST bonus ($8M), the world's no.1 golfer has earned more than $62.2M . Scheffler's estimated off-course earning is $20M, which catapults him to second.

Tiger Woods ($67M) This name might surprise you. But Tiger Woods 's off-course earnings top his on-course pay. Per this Forbes from June , the 15-time major champion has earned $12M on the greens. It might include his appearance fees as well. Additionally, the 48-year-old has earned $55M on sponsorships. On aggregate, Woods's total $67M hasn't changed much since June, considering the missed cuts at both the U.S. Open and the Open Championship.

Rory McIlroy ($61.4M) Like Woods, Rory McIlroy 's off-course earnings have launched him to the top five. McIlroy reportedly earns $45M in endorsements. This season the Ulsterman pocketed $10,893,790 from the PGA Tour and the majors. Add on top, the $4.8M he earned from his 3rd place finish in the Comcast Top-ten leaderboard, and then another $1,608,333.33 as the FedEx Cup bonus.

Bryson DeChambeau ($41M) A phenomenal season with a contract worth over $125M puts Bryson DeChambeau in the top five. The Crushers captain earns around $25M from his contract per year; he inked a 4 1⁄2 year deal with the PIF-funded side. DeChambeau's position is bolstered by strong performance in the majors, which included three top-tens, including the US Open title. DeChambeau has earned over $15M in this season on the greens. Forbes put his off-court income at $1M. The two-time major winner lost some of his big-money sponsors for joining LIV.

So, in the money game, it appears that PGA Tour still has an edge over LIV Golf. Thank the $20M-purse Signature events, the FedEx Cup bonus pool, and the Comcast bonus for that. Note that this doesn't include the PIP money, which is likely to propel the earnings by a considerable margin.