J.J. Spaun has enjoyed an unforgettable breakout season on the PGA Tour this year, with the Californian now closing in on one of Tiger Woods’ records for prize money earned
J.J. Spaun has enjoyed an incredible year on the PGA Tour(Image: Getty Images)
J.J. Spaun is on track to shatter Tiger Woods’ record for prize money earned in a single year despite only winning one tournament this season.
Scottie Scheffler ($19 million) and Rory McIlroy ($16M) unsurprisingly landed in first and second place respectively on the newly-released PGA Tour regular season prize money charts. But in third place is a name that no one could have predicted at the start of the season in January.
By the end of the Wyndham Championship last week, Spaun had raked in a staggering $10.14M. That’s despite the 34-year-old American only clinching one victory across 20 events.
However, that win just happened to be at the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club back in June. Spaun emerged victorious at a course that gave even the biggest names on Tour problems all week, bagging the second-largest winning check of the season in the process. It earned him a whopping $4.3M in prize money alone.
Among Spaun’s five top-10s were also two runner-up finishes – the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches and The Players Championship – which are two of the most lucrative events on the PGA Tour calendar.
His unexpected form this season is best illustrated by the fact he only pocketed $1.65M in prize money last year, while boasting a career season-best of $3M.
The Californian will aim to continue his meteoric rise in the opening round of the FedExCup Playoffs this week – the FedEx St Jude Championship.
Spaun won the U.S. Open in June(Image: Getty Images)
The FedExCup Playoffs consist of three events, featuring a progressive cut with fields of 70 (FedEx St. Jude Championship), 50 (BMW Championship) and 30 (TOUR Championship).
That puts Spaun in a prime position to earn the $700,000 he needs to top golf icon Woods’ most successful financial year in terms of prize money.
The 15-time major champion is often hailed as the greatest golfer ever. But he only exceeded the $10M mark in earnings in three years – 2005, 2007, and 2009 – with 2007 being his top-earning year at $10.87M, despite seven PGA Tour victories, including the PGA Championship.
That only goes to show how drastically the prize money has increased in recent years, with current PGA Tour earnings on any given Sunday far exceeding what Woods and his contemporaries used to win.
Tiger Woods would have earned far more money today(Image: TGL Golf via Getty Images)
Despite his recent success, Spaun still has a long way to go to catch up to Woods’ career records, which include 82 Tour victories and a total prize haul of $121M before injuries took their toll.
Even so, Spaun’s transformation from a journeyman to a major winner is an inspiring tale of perseverance for any budding golf star. “I never thought I would win a major – a few years ago I was just trying to get in them,” he said after his win.
“It’s a big difference, having the spotlight on me now and the expectations, but all I can do is just rely on the experiences I’ve had – coming down the stretch at the U.S. Open, getting myself in the play-off at The Players Championship.
“I’ve had way bigger challenges – whether it’s life or golf or losing my card – than just being more in the spotlight, so I’m learning to embrace it.”
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