The senior tour—or the PGA TOUR Champions, if you’re being formal—is basically a high-stakes victory lap for the legends of golf. But honestly, it’s more than just a sunset tour. When you look at the charles schwab cup money list, you realize these guys are playing for serious cash and a legacy that doesn’t end just because they hit 50.
Most people get confused between the "Money List" and the "Points Standings." It's kinda tricky. During the regular season, your wallet is your scoreboard. If you earn a dollar, you get a point. Simple, right? But once the playoffs hit, the math starts gets weird.
The Grind for the Top 72
To even smell the postseason, you have to be in the top 72 of the money list by the time the SAS Championship wraps up. If you're 73rd? You're going home. No playoffs for you.
The 2025 season was a wild ride. We saw Stewart Cink absolutely tear it up. He didn't just win the money title; he swept the whole thing, taking home the Charles Schwab Cup Championship and the season-long points trophy. He ended the year with over $3.2 million in official earnings. That's not pocket change.
Here is the thing about the "money list" though: it isn't just about who has the biggest bank account at the end of October. It's the gatekeeper.
- Top 72: Get into the first playoff event (Dominion Energy Charity Classic).
- Top 54: Advance to the second event (Simmons Bank Championship).
- Top 36: The elite crew that makes it to the finale in Phoenix.
If you aren't making checks, you aren't moving on.
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How the Money Turns Into Points
Okay, so let's talk about the "Reset." This is where the PGA TOUR Champions tries to make things exciting for TV. Before the final tournament at Phoenix Country Club, they take that season-long charles schwab cup money list and convert it into a points system.
They do this so the guy in first place doesn't have such a massive lead that the tournament becomes boring. It gives the top five players a mathematical "control your own destiny" scenario. If any of the top five players win the final tournament, they win the Cup. Period.
It’s sorta like the FedEx Cup on the regular tour, but with more ibuprofen and better stories in the locker room.
In 2025, Steven Alker was the man to beat for most of the year. He had 18 top-10 finishes. Think about that. 18! The guy is a machine. But because of the way the points reset and the double-points weight of the playoffs, Cink was able to leapfrog him at the very end.
2025 Final Earnings Leaders (The Big Three)
- Stewart Cink: $3,247,147
- Miguel Angel Jiménez: $3,171,998
- Steven Alker: $3,169,266
It was a total dogfight. Only $80k separated first from third. In the world of professional golf, that’s one lucky birdie on a Sunday afternoon.
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The Bonus Pool: The Real Prize
The money list you see on the leaderboard isn't the only cash flying around. The top five finishers in the final points standings split a $2.1 million bonus pool.
The winner—Cink in 2025—gets a $1 million annuity. Second place gets $500,000, and it scales down to $100,000 for fifth.
Interestingly, they don't just hand them a suitcase of cash. It goes into a Schwab brokerage account. It’s literally "The Schwab Cup," so they want you to invest it. Pretty on-brand, actually.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Rankings
You’ll often hear fans complain that the money list is "unfair" because one big win in a major can skew the whole season. And yeah, that’s true. A win at the Senior Open or the U.S. Senior Open pays out way more than a standard Friday-to-Sunday event.
But that’s the point.
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The majors are harder. The courses are longer. If you win a major, you should move up the charles schwab cup money list significantly.
Also, don't confuse "Career Money" with the "Season Money List." Bernhard Langer is the undisputed king of career money, sitting at over $38 million earned just on the Champions Tour. But even the GOAT of senior golf has to prove himself every year to stay high on the current season's list.
Looking Ahead to 2026
The 2026 schedule is already looking beefy. We’re seeing a shift where the younger "seniors"—guys like Cink, Ernie Els, and even Padraig Harrington—are starting to dominate. They hit it further. They play more aggressively.
If you're tracking the list this year, keep an eye on the "Swing 5" and "Next 10" style pathways that are starting to bleed over from the PGA Tour’s philosophy. The tour wants "trending" players to have a chance to move up quickly.
Honestly, the best way to watch the money list is to look at the "Bubble." The guys ranked 70th through 75th in September are playing for their lives. If they don't make the top 72, they lose their exempt status for the following year. That’s where the real drama is. Not at the top, but at the cutoff.
How to Track It Like a Pro
If you actually want to use this info—maybe for a fantasy pool or just to sound smart at the 19th hole—don't just look at the total dollar amount. Look at Money Per Event.
In 2025, Stewart Cink averaged about $154,626 per start. That’s efficiency. Compare that to someone who plays 25 events to reach the same number. The guy with the higher average is usually the one who performs under pressure in the playoffs.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check the "Money Per Event" stats on the PGA Tour website rather than just the totals; it tells you who is actually playing the best golf, not just who is playing the most.
- Watch the SAS Championship in October. It's the final "regular season" event and determines the top 72 who make the playoffs.
- Focus on the Top 5 heading into the November finale in Phoenix. Those are the only players who truly control their own fate for the $1 million bonus.