It seems odd to suggest that a first prize of $4.5 million is an afterthought, but that’s exactly what the Masters and major golf in general is for Rory McIlroy.
Legacy, history, validation… these all take higher precedence, but in golf, with legacy, history and validation comes financial reward, and it’s considerable, especially when the 2026 Masters was offering a record $22.5 million purse to play for.
McIlroy is now the highest earning player in Masters Tournament history, moving to $13,043,021, becoming the first player to pass the $10 million mark though Scottie Scheffler joins him there as he moved to $10,475,325 with the $2.43 million he earned for finishing solo second.
The win also takes McIlroy’s total career earnings on the PGA Tour to $114,696,641, remaining second only to Tiger Woods though he could eclipse him as early as next month should he pick off either the Cadillac Championship, Truist Championship or PGA Championship, and have high finishes at the other two.
Shane Lowry will be leaving Augusta National with mixed emotions for yet another year. Along with the $146,250 prize money he receives, he adds two more pieces of Augusta National-emblemed crystal – one for his eagle on the 13th in round one, and the second for his hole-in-one at the sixth in round three.
Lowry has now completed two of the four legs of a grand slam of his own by aceing two of Augusta National’s four par-3s, but this will come a fair way short of covering the disappointment of playing in the penultimate group but finding himself dropped from TV coverage after playing just five holes.
Tom McKibbin’s maiden Masters appearance didn’t bring any official tournament prize money, but he still gets $25k for his troubles, and it’s hard to imagine that, having gotten a taste of Augusta National, he’ll not be more determined than ever to become a regular fixture at the year’s first major.
Of the quartet who shared third and each added over a million dollars to their earnings, Justin Rose and Cameron Young will be the most disappointed. For a period, both players held sole possession of the lead on Sunday, but while Young has time on his side, Rose doesn’t and who knows how many chances he has left to join the illustrious Green Jacketed club.
Masters Tournament Prize Money Payouts in Full
| Pos. | Golfer | Score | Earnings |
| 1 | Rory McIlroy | -12 | $4,500,000 |
| 2 | Scottie Scheffler | -11 | $2,430,000 |
| T3 | Tyrrell Hatton | -10 | $1,080,000 |
| T3 | Russell Henley | -10 | $1,080,000 |
| T3 | Justin Rose | -10 | $1,080,000 |
| T3 | Cameron Young | -10 | $1,080,000 |
| T7 | Collin Morikawa | -9 | $725,625 |
| T7 | Sam Burns | -9 | $725,625 |
| T9 | Max Homa | -8 | $630,000 |
| T9 | Xander Schauffele | -8 | $630,000 |
| 11 | Jake Knapp | -7 | $562,500 |
| T12 | Jordan Spieth | -5 | $427,500 |
| T12 | Hideki Matsuyama | -5 | $427,500 |
| T12 | Brooks Koepka | -5 | $427,500 |
| T12 | Patrick Reed | -5 | $427,500 |
| T12 | Patrick Cantlay | -5 | $427,500 |
| T12 | Jason Day | -5 | $427,500 |
| T18 | Viktor Hovland | -4 | $315,000 |
| T18 | Maverick McNealy | -4 | $315,000 |
| T18 | Matt Fitzpatrick | -4 | $315,000 |
| T21 | Keegan Bradley | -3 | $252,000 |
| T21 | Ludvig Aberg | -3 | $252,000 |
| T21 | Wyndham Clark | -3 | $252,000 |
| T24 | Matt McCarty | -2 | $182,250 |
| T24 | Adam Scott | -2 | $182,250 |
| T24 | Sam Stevens | -2 | $182,250 |
| T24 | Chris Gotterup | -2 | $182,250 |
| T24 | Michael Brennan | -2 | $182,250 |
| T24 | Brian Campbell | -2 | $182,250 |
| T30 | Shane Lowry | -2 | $146,250 |
| T30 | Alex Noren | -1 | $146,250 |
| T30 | Harris English | -1 | $146,250 |
| T33 | Gary Woodland | E | $121,500 |
| T33 | Dustin Johnson | E | $121,500 |
| T33 | Brian Harman | E | $121,500 |
| T33 | Tommy Fleetwood | E | $121,500 |
| T33 | Ben Griffin | E | $121,500 |
| T38 | Jon Rahm | 1 | $101,250 |
| T38 | Ryan Gerard | 1 | $101,250 |
| T38 | Haotong Li | 1 | $101,250 |
| T41 | Justin Thomas | 2 | $83,250 |
| T41 | Sepp Straka | 2 | $83,250 |
| T41 | Jacob Bridgeman | 2 | $83,250 |
| T41 | Kristoffer Reitan | 2 | $83,250 |
| T41 | Nick Taylor | 2 | $83,250 |
| 46 | Sungjae Im | 3 | $69,750 |
| 47 | Si Woo Kim | 4 | $65,250 |
| 48 | Aaron Rai | 5 | $61,650 |
| T49 | Corey Conners | 6 | $57,600 |
| T49 | Marco Penge | 6 | $57,600 |
| 51 | Kurt Kitayama | 7 | $55,350 |
| 52 | Sergio Garcia | 8 | $54,000 |
| 53 | Rasmus Hojgaard | 10 | $52,650 |
| 54 | Charl Schwartzel | 12 | $51,300 |
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