Money in golf has become a weird, polarizing topic lately. You can't really talk about the PGA Tour anymore without someone bringing up the massive checks being cut every weekend. But when we get to the postseason, the conversation shifts from "regular season money" to "generational wealth" territory. Specifically, the FedEx St Jude Championship purse has become the primary benchmark for just how high the stakes have climbed in the modern era of professional sports.
It wasn't always like this.
Back in the day, winning a tournament in Memphis was a nice feather in the cap, but it didn't necessarily set your grandkids up for life. Now? The TPC Southwind leaderboard is basically a live tracker of some of the biggest payouts in all of athletics. We are talking about a total prize pool that sits at a staggering $20 million. That is not a typo.
Breaking Down the $20 Million Math
The PGA Tour moved to this "Signature Event" model and elevated playoff structure to compete with, well, you know who. LIV Golf changed the math for everyone. To keep the best players in the world from jumping ship, the Tour had to make it worth their while.
So, how does that $20 million actually get split up?
The winner of the FedEx St Jude Championship purse takes home $3.6 million. Think about that for a second. In four days of work, a guy can make more than most CEOs make in five years. If you finish in second place, you’re still looking at a payday of roughly $2.16 million. Even third place clears seven figures, usually landing around $1.36 million.
It's massive.
But here is the thing people forget: the money is only part of the prize. While the cash is great for the bank account, the FedEx Cup points are what actually keep these guys employed at the highest level. The St. Jude is the first leg of the playoffs. Only 70 players make it to Memphis. By the time the trophies are handed out on Sunday, only 50 move on to the BMW Championship. If you don't perform, the money stops flowing.
The Hidden Costs of Chasing the Bag
Most fans see the $3.6 million check and think it’s all private jets and champagne. Honestly, it’s a bit more complicated than that. Professional golfers are essentially small businesses.
When a player wins a slice of the FedEx St Jude Championship purse, a huge chunk disappears immediately. First, there’s the caddie. Standard operating procedure in the golf world is 10% for a win. That’s $360,000 right off the top. Then you’ve got the taxes. Since the tournament is held at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, players deal with federal taxes and whatever state-level "jock taxes" apply to out-of-state athletes.
Then there are the coaches. Most top-tier pros have a swing coach, a short-game specialist, a putting consultant, and a physical therapist. Many of these guys work on a percentage basis or high retainers. By the time the winner actually sees that money in their personal savings account, that $3.6 million might look a lot more like $1.8 million.
Still a lot? Absolutely. But it’s not the "lottery win" it looks like on the broadcast.
Why Memphis Matters More Than Just the Cash
The FedEx St. Jude Championship isn't just about the players' pockets. It’s arguably the most important charitable stop on the tour. The partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is the soul of this event.
Since 1970, this tournament has raised over $60 million for the hospital. You’ll see players wearing shoes designed by patients or sporting St. Jude pins on their hats. While the FedEx St Jude Championship purse gets the headlines because of the eye-popping numbers, the real impact is the fact that families at St. Jude never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food.
It’s a strange juxtaposition. You have millionaires playing for millions, while just down the road, kids are fighting for their lives. The players know this. Most of them spend time at the hospital during the week, and it’s one of the few stops where the "pressure" of a three-footer feels a bit more trivial compared to the reality of the patients they meet.
The Playoff Structure: A High-Stakes Filter
To understand why the FedEx St Jude Championship purse is so high, you have to look at the qualifying criteria. This isn't an open field. You can't just Monday qualify for this.
- You have to be in the top 70 of the FedEx Cup standings at the end of the regular season.
- There is no cut in the traditional sense for the later rounds, but the field is already "pre-cut" from the hundreds of guys who hold Tour cards.
- Every stroke in Memphis is worth quadruple the points of a regular season event.
Because the field is limited to the top 70, the "bottom" of the payout is still lucrative. Even the guy who finishes 70th—last place in the building—walks away with about $40,000. It covers the travel and the caddie, but it's a heartbreak compared to what's available at the top of the board.
The "Signature Event" Evolution
The PGA Tour's decision to hike these purses was a direct response to the fracturing of the sport. We saw guys like Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka leave for guaranteed money. In response, the Tour created these "elevated" or "Signature" events.
The FedEx St Jude Championship purse was one of the first to see this massive jump. Before the recent changes, the winner was taking home closer to $1.6 million or $1.8 million. Doubling the winner's check was a loud statement. The Tour essentially said: "If you want to be the best and get paid like the best, you have to do it here."
Historical Context: From the Memphis Open to Today
The tournament started as the Memphis Open back in 1958. Billy Maxwell won the inaugural event and took home $3,500. Not $3.5 million. Just $3,500.
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If you adjust for inflation, that’s about $37,000 today.
It’s wild to see the trajectory. For decades, it was a standard Tour stop. In the 80s and 90s, the purse grew steadily as TV contracts became more lucrative. When FedEx became the title sponsor for the season-long race in 2007, everything changed. Memphis eventually became the permanent home for the first playoff event, replacing the Northern Trust in the rotation.
Now, TPC Southwind is one of the most recognizable courses on the schedule. It’s famous for the water hazards on 17 and 18. It’s famous for the heat and humidity that makes the ball fly forever but turns the fairways into a furnace. And now, it's famous for being one of the biggest paydays in the sport.
How the Purse Affects Strategy
Does a bigger purse change how the pros play? Kinda.
Most of these guys are already wealthy. A guy like Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy isn't checking the projected payout on the 15th green. They want the trophy. They want the legacy. But for the guys ranked 45th to 70th, that FedEx St Jude Championship purse represents a massive opportunity to secure their future.
Finishing top 50 in Memphis earns you a spot in the BMW Championship. More importantly, it gets you into all the Signature Events for the following year. That is a guaranteed path to more $20 million purses.
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So, the strategy becomes about risk management. Do you fire at the pin on 18 over the water to try and jump from 12th to 4th? In a regular event, maybe not. In the playoffs, that jump could be worth $400,000 and a guaranteed spot in the Masters. The pressure isn't just about the number on the scoreboard; it's about the doors that the money and points open up.
What to Watch for Next
If you're following the money trail in professional golf, keep an eye on these specific moves regarding the FedEx St Jude Championship purse and its downstream effects:
- Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) Shifts: Because the field is so strong, the "Strength of Field" rating is through the roof. A high finish here does more for a player's world ranking than three wins in lower-tier events.
- The Top 50 Lock: Pay close attention to the guys on the bubble. The difference between 50th and 51st in Memphis is worth millions of dollars in potential earnings the following season due to the Signature Event exemptions.
- Course Conditions: If the weather turns and TPC Southwind gets soft, the scoring goes low. If it stays hot and firm, the "water everywhere" layout becomes a graveyard for expensive mistakes.
- Sponsor Impact: Watch how FedEx and St. Jude integrate their messaging. The success of this purse is heavily tied to the corporate health of the title sponsor, which has its headquarters right there in Memphis.
The financial landscape of golf is still shifting. We might see these numbers climb even higher if new investment flows into the Tour's new commercial entity. For now, the $20 million mark is the gold standard, making the St. Jude one of the "Big Four" non-major payouts on the calendar. Whether you think the money is out of control or a long-overdue market correction, there is no denying that it has made every putt in Memphis feel a whole lot heavier.