Phil Mickelson's brother and caddie made $200,000 for winning the PGA Championship. Here is how much PGA Tour caddies make. (2024)

FAQs

How much does Mickelson's caddy make? ›

During his time as Mickelson's caddie, Mackay earned roughly between $500,000 – $1 million per year and is often referred to by his nickname 'Bones' due to his lanky frame. 'Bones' has since teamed up with Justin Thomas and they have had big success together, winning the 2022 PGA Championship.

Reports and estimates speculate that Mickelson received a signing fee of an astonishing $200 million from LIV Golf. A report by Forbes suggests he likely received half of that up front.

Caddies for professional golfers, specifically those on the PGA Tour, make a base rate of $1,500 to $3,000 per tournament, plus a percentage of the player's winnings. Below you will see how a PGA Tour caddie differs from caddies available to the public. Their wage structure and range are entirely different.

Based on a player's finish, a typical caddie rate is around 5% of the winnings for any finish outside the top 10. Players breaking into the top 10, but not winning, will share 6-8% of their prize with their caddies. Winning players may share up to 10% of the prize money with their caddy.

'Bones actually fired Phil. He was owed $900,000' “After 25 very rewarding and memorable years, Bones and I have mutually decided to end our player-caddie relationship,” Phil Mickelson said in a press release sent out by his management team.

Caddies for professional players could make up to $3,000 per tournament, but they also receive a percentage of the player's winnings. As of 2020, the highest paid caddy in golf was Justin Thomas' assistant Jimmy Johnson, who reportedly received as many as $502,851 on that year.

Rory McIlroy: LIV Golf 'never offered me any money' Back to video. Rory McIlroy took the opportunity on Wednesday to clarify his dealings — or lack of dealings — with the Saudi-backed breakaway league: “I was never offered any money,” McIlroy said.

Norman originally told Tucker Carlson in an interview taped at LIV Golf's event at Trump Bedminster that Woods' initial offer was “in the neighborhood of $700-800 million” in LIV's early days. “That number was out there before I became CEO, and that number's been out there, yes,” Norman said.

2022 British Open Champion Cameron Smith's LIV Golf Contract Reportedly Worth $100M. Cameron Smith is reportedly the latest to join LIV Golf after signing a $100 million deal with the organization, according to Tom Morgan of the Telegraph.

Yes, caddies still get paid even if their player misses the cut. Typically, caddies and their players agree on their base pay for the week.

Do caddies pay taxes? ›

They are paid a fee for their work, but a large percentage of their income comes from tips. Both the fees and tips given directly to the caddy should be reported as income, whether the caddy is an independent contractor or an employee. The caddies should, therefore, file taxes on this income.

Tiger Woods' caddie typically earns a five to 10 percent share of his golfer's earnings, according to Golf Week. A caddie can earn between $1,500 and $2,500 per week during golf tournaments, Forbes reports.

The commonly held belief is that most caddies make around $1,500 to $3,000 per tournament. In addition to that, each caddie has a negotiated deal with the golfer to be paid a percentage of their winnings.

Base pay for regular PGA caddies normally ranges from $1,500 to $3,000 per week. However, the possibility of enhanced earnings arises from performance-based bonuses, which are typically equal to 10% of any winnings or additional bonuses acquired.

The average payout for the Valspar Hat Program is $5,000 - $8,000. Some caddies make over $10,000 wearing a Valspar hat. Caddies can make money off sponsorships — one of the most common is the hat they wear.

Mickelson Lost Endorsem*nts Because He Told Sponsors They Could Dump Him. On February 26, 2010, 12 years ago to this day, Gatorade dropped Tiger Woods, immediately dumping the sporting world's top endorser, and said it no longer saw a role for the golfer in its marketing.

Callaway has supplied Mickelson's clubs since 2004, most recently signing an extension in 2017 which was said to cover the rest of the veteran star's playing career. Callaway's deal is one of Mickelson's most lucrative contracts, contributing to an annual sponsorship income of US$42 million, according to Sportico.

Phil Mickelson loses sponsors, tournament host role after comments about PGA Tour, Saudi regime. Phil Mickelson lost two more sponsors Friday over his criticism of the PGA Tour and his comments about the Saudi government. Callaway Golf will "pause" its relationship with Mickelson, Golf Channel reported.

In 2015, the US Open winner, Jordan Spieth, made a cool $1.8 million in prize money. His caddie Michael Greller pocketed $180,000 for his performance at the tournament. Sure, he spent the US Open carrying Spieth's golf bag, but he was more than that to Spieth.

McIlroy said he paid his caddie 10 percent from the $9 million he took home that day from his FedEx Cup bonus, and 10 percent from the Tour Championship earnings. “So the total was $1.05 million,” McIlroy said.

Is Jordan Spieth's caddy a millionaire? ›

Michael Greller was a middle school math teacher making $55,000 a year before becoming Jordan Spieth's caddie. Since taking over Spieth's bag, Greller has made an estimated $5 million, between his cut of Spieth's winnings and likely lucrative endorsem*nt deals.

LIV Golf have reportedly splashed out an eye-watering $784m in the first year of their plan to shatter the world of professional golf – and could spend as much as $1billion more next year too.

Will Zalatoris turned down $130 million from LIV Golf, according to Fred Couples. With a seemingly endless flow of money, LIV Golf was able to entice major champs like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau to join the Saudi-backed league.

That pales in comparison to the $72 million he earned between May 1, 2022, and May 1, 2023, according to Forbes' calculations, thanks to the roughly $50 million up-front signing bonus Koepka received from LIV last summer.

But you may be wondering: What does the “LIV” in LIV Golf stand for anyway? Maybe to your surprise, “LIV” isn't an acronym. Instead, it's the Roman numeral for the number 54, as NBC Sports reports. The outlet explains each LIV Golf tournament will have 54 holes, 18 fewer than a typical PGA event.

Johnson, a two-time major champion, won 24 times on the PGA Tour before signing a deal with LIV Golf, which reportedly guaranteed him as much as $150 million. He won LIV Golf's tournament outside Boston in September and earned another $35.6 million in purses and bonuses in the circuit's inaugural season.

Smith made the jump to LIV last month, signing a deal worth a reported $143million (£125m) and admitted that money was the main reason behind his decision, along with LIV's reduced schedule.

Augusta National actually pays out every professional, regardless if they make the cut. That doesn't happen at regular PGA Tour tournaments, unless they are non-cut events like WGCs or the Tour Championship. So what's the haul for those players who miss the cut? They all get $10,000 each.

Players are compensated solely based on their performance and finishing position in the event. If a golfer decides to withdraw, they forfeit any potential earnings from that specific tournament. This applies to all professional golfers, regardless of their status or accomplishments in the sport.

Do Golfers Get Paid For Missing The Cut? The simple answer to this question on most professional golf tours, including the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, is no, they don't.

What are caddies not allowed to do? ›

Caddies may not walk on greens when checking hole locations, nor may they interfere with play, during Championship rounds. Caddies are only allowed on the practice putting greens to retrieve chip shots or long putts, provided that the putting green is not crowded.

Golfers are required to pay taxes on winnings from tournaments. The amount of tax depends on the country where the tournament is held and the golfer's individual circ*mstances. Golfers may also be eligible for deductions based on their travel expenses or other related costs.

Players were not allowed to bring their own caddie. When it changed this policy, the Masters Tournament Committee still required all visiting caddies to wear the traditional uniform of the club's own caddies. This uniform is white overalls and a green cap, and is worn there all year round by the caddies.

A whopping $1.6 billion. The other 7.6% of his career earnings were from playing golf. Tiger has earned roughly $118 million by playing in the PGA tour and other tournaments like the Masters etc. Tiger also made his first $100 million in just 8 months after turning professional.

Who is the caddie worth 1.5 billion? Meet Ryan Smith, Tony Finau's billionaire caddie who is richer than golf's best players and owns Utah Jazz.

Woods won the tournament not just with his TaylorMade three-wood, but with a whole bag full of TaylorMade clubs. Woods signed a sponsorship deal estimated to be worth more than $10 million annually with the San Diego-based company in 2017, a move that was part of a much broader strategic shift at TaylorMade.

Put simply, no, but they do get their own sartorial award as a commemoration. Like many of the traditions of Augusta National, the Green Jacket is greatly revered.

A golf caddy on the PGA Tour will make a weekly base salary and then a percentage of the player's wins. If a golfer is able to win the tournament, the caddie will usually make 10% of the winnings.

Series Badge Patron tickets

Select Badge passes cost $450 for all four days of the tournament in 2023. That's up from $375 in 2022, though it's still cheaper than tickets purchased through the lottery (at $140 per tournament-round ticket, it would cost $560 to attend all four days of the Masters).

Paying for all expenses related to your job comes with being an independent contractor. This means professional golfers pay for their airfare, meals, lodging, tournament entry, and more. Multiply many of those costs by two to pay for a caddie.

Do PGA Tour players get a salary? ›

PGA Tour players do not get a yearly salary. But things did change in the 2022-23 season. Starting that season, exempt players will now receive $500,000 against earnings. It is not a salary but instead a base level.

Players are not compensated for participating in the Ryder Cup, even if they compete on the winning team. They do, however, receive compensation in another way. The PGA of America reportedly gives each player on Team USA $200,000 for charity, half of which the players can distribute to organizations of their choice.

Eligible caddies in the program can be reimbursed for the cost of medical, dental, vision and prescription drug insurance.

Jordan Spieth is 29 years old as of April 2023 and has a net worth of approximately $276 million. Most of this comes from his sponsorships with brands such as Under Armour, AT&T, and Rolex. His annual income from his sponsorships totals around $27.6 million.

Justin Rose's hat deal with Morgan Stanley is reportedly worth $5 million annually.

Jordan Spieth's caddie and former sixth-grade teacher, Michael Greller, has likely made $2 million this season.

How much does Dustin Johnson's caddie make? Usually, the caddie gets a 10 per cent of the prize money won by the golfer.

How Much Does Rory McIlroy's Caddie Make? Needless to say, McIlroy is one of the hottest bags in the world. The four-time Major winner reportedly paid Fitzgerald 10 per cent of his $9 million he took home that day from his FedEx Cup bonus in 2016 and 10 percent from the Tour Championship earnings.

Now, at 29, Spieth has a net worth of $120 million, as reported by Celebrity Net Worth. The young golfer also reached No. 52 on Forbes' list of highest paid athletes for 2020, earning $27.6 million per year according to Forbes.

One of the closest player-caddie relationships on Tour is that of Jordan Spieth and his caddie Michael Greller. The pair have worked together since 2011, during which time Spieth has won three Majors.

Do caddies get sponsorship money? ›

Caddies can make money off sponsorships — one of the most common is the hat they wear. Let's take Nike for example. In most cases — a Nike-sponsored player will have a requirement from Nike of the player's caddie to wear a Nike hat with no other logos.

Article snapshot. Dustin Johnson is an American professional golfer with a net worth of $100 million. He won two major championships, the 2016 US Open and the 2020 Masters Tournament, and has earned $68 million from winnings and $20 million from endorsem*nts. He invests in luxury homes, cars, and fitness.

Joe LaCava, Tiger Woods' caddie since 2011, will be carrying the bag for the world No. 4 for the foreseeable future beginning this week at the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship, according to Golf Channel.

Traditionally, if the player wins the event, the caddie receives ten percent of the overall player earnings, for a top ten finish a caddie gets seven percent, and for anything else it's five percent. Caddies also have a base salary, which is typically around three thousand dollars per tournament.

Rory McIlroy Net Worth: $150 Million.

Caddies almost always receive 10 percent of a golfer's winnings for any given tournament a golfer wins. The FedEx Cup bonus money (the extra $10 million) is different. Some golfers keep the 10 percent figure in place. Billy Horschel did it a few years ago.

As per Firstsportz, Rory signed a $100 million to $250 million endorsem*nt contract with Nike in 2013. Subsequently, in 2017, he extended his contract with Nike to 10 more years for $200 million. McIlroy recently announced a new sponsorship deal with the financial management company Workday.