We all know that the purses on the PGA Tour are ridiculous. Any given week, the winner of a regular tournament on the best Tour in the world could be taking home upwards of $1.5 million, but there’s something else that payday guarantees and that’s endorsement money.
Golf.com talked to a high-profile agent whose clientele includes multiple top-30 players in the world to get a better idea of just what a PGA Tour pro commands from sponsors in dollars and cents, and some of the numbers are incredible.
Money talks when it comes to what ball a Tour pro will play. https://t.co/nYovy1gFEz pic.twitter.com/HOUFbWTKzF
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) October 17, 2018
The agent set a baseline to understand who can fetch these numbers, allowing our imaginations to run wild for the price tags attached to the upper echelon of Tour royalty. The guy he was talking about is someone who keeps their Tour card year in and year out; someone who picks off a win every few years and can be counted on to play at least one FedEx Cup Playoff event.
So, who are we talking about here? Think about the likes of Kevin Streelman, Brendan Steele, Charley Hoffman. Guys who are perfectly capable of grabbing a win or two every few years, who challenge and compete at majors, but by and large make up the rank and file of the PGA Tour.
Those are the guys getting this kind of money…
- His Hat – $250,000–$500,000
- His Logo/Corporate Deal – $50,000–$100,000
- His Clubs – $100,000
- His Ball – $50,000–$100,000
- Bonuses — $10,000-$1,000
The hat is the biggest earner by far, but there’s plenty of money to be made elsewhere.
“The front of the hat is your No. 1 real estate,” the agent told Golf.com. “On the high end, this deal generally includes other inventory—bag, equipment—as well. If you’re a Top 30 player, you’re definitely making seven figures on this. For a Top 10 guy, you’re looking north of $3 million and getting close to eight figures for the most marketable players in the world. For this deal, a player will be obligated to, on average, commit to giving a company three to four appearance/promotional days per year.”
While on the low end, those numbers nearly reach half a million dollars, there are expenses to be incurred as well, the agent said.
Here’s a ballpark figure at what the pros are shelling out to their teams…
- Caddie – $140,000
- Agent – $105,000
- Accountant – $32,000
- Coach – $40,000
- Trainer – $40,000
- Travel and Lodging – $130,000
- PGA Tour Membership Fees – $300
- Locker Room Tips – $5,000
- Disability Insurance – $10,000
The agent’s ballpark figure for their guy who makes roughly $2 million on the course comes out to (on average) $700,00 in endorsements, $550,000 in outlay for a grand total of $2.5 million a year before taxes.
Not bad work if you can get it.
