Hideki Matsuyama started the year in imperious fashion, setting a new all-time PGA Tour low scoring record when he won The Sentry at 35-under-par and took home $3.6 million, and he ended it by overhauling Sepp Straka and Scottie Scheffler and then taking down Alex Noren in a playoff to win Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
The $1 million first prize Matsuyama earned may pale in comparison to his earnings in Hawaii, but it takes his total PGA Tour earnings to over $62 million.
Noren earned $450,000 for finishing runner up, while Straka, who looked to be in complete control and on course for a third tournament win of the calendar year, had to settle for $300,000 for finishing in solo third.
The DP World Tour was in action in both Australia and South Africa, with the Crown Australian Open taking place at Royal Melbourne and the Nedbank Golf Challenge – dubbed Africa’s Major – taking place at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City.
It’s been a whirlwind year for Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who began as a DP World Tour rookie having graduated from the HotelPlanner Tour and then played his final five holes in five-under at the DP World Tour Championship to clinch one of the 10 PGA Tour cards on offer.
The only thing missing was a win, but he put that to bed by taking his maiden DP World Tour win at the historic Melbourne club and took the top prize of €193,209.08.
Rory McIlroy was the star attraction, and though he finished tied for 16th and earned just €16,365.95, he can console himself with the fact that he earned almost $36 million across both tours in 2025 and a Mastercard moment as he finally claimed something that money can’t buy.
At the Nedbank Golf Challenge, Kristoffer Reitan, another of the DP World Tour players to earn a PGA Tour card for 2026, came out on top, but he earned significantly more than Neergaard-Petersen did.
€879,083.05 was his reward for a wire-to-wire victory, and propels him to the top of the early Race to Dubai standings, with Dan Bradbury and Jayden Schaper each collecting €448,546.77 for joint runner-up finishes.
Tom McKibbin’s long season came to a close with a T16 finish – like his fellow Holywood man – but €71,613.11 was his prize for doing so, and his maiden year as a LIV Golfer saw him earn in the region of $7 million across all tours and he’s looking forward to a first Masters appearance in April.
Hero World Challenge selected payouts
| Pos | Player | Score | Earnings |
| 1 | Hideki Matsuyama | -22 | $1,000,000 |
| 2 | Alex Noren | -22 | $450,000 |
| 3 | Sepp Straka | -21 | $300,000 |
| T4 | JJ Spaun | -20 | $237,500 |
| T4 | Scottie Scheffler | -20 | $237,500 |
| 6 | Justin Rose | -18 | $220,000 |
| 7 | Corey Conners | -17 | $215,000 |
| T8 | Harris English | -15 | $207,500 |
| T8 | Wyndham Clark | -15 | $207,500 |
| 10 | Cameron Young | -15 | $200,000 |
Crown Australian Open selected payouts
| Pos | Player Name | Score | Prize money |
| 1 | NEERGAARD-PETERSEN, Rasmus | -15 | €193,209.08 |
| 2 | SMITH, Cam | -14 | €125,017.64 |
| 3 | KIM, Si Woo | -13 | €71,601.01 |
| 4 | HOLLICK, Michael | -12 | €56,826.20 |
| 5 | SCOTT, Adam | -11 | €48,188.62 |
| 6 | BALLESTER, Jose Luis | -10 | €36,937.03 |
| | HILLIER, Daniel | -10 | €36,937.03 |
| 8 | MCCARTY, Matt | -9 | €24,378.44 |
| | ORTIZ, Carlos | -9 | €24,378.44 |
| | SMYLIE, Elvis | -9 | €24,378.44 |
| 8 | SURRATT, Caleb | -9 | €24,378.44 |
| 16 | MCILROY, Rory | -7 | €16,365.95 |
Nedbank Golf Challenge selected payouts
| Pos | Player Name | Score | Prize money |
| 1 | REITAN, Kristoffer | -17 | €879,083.05 |
| 2 | BRADBURY, Dan | -16 | €448,546.77 |
| | SCHAPER, Jayden | -16 | €448,546.77 |
| 4 | BEZUIDENHOUT, Christiaan | -13 | €259,007.88 |
| 5 | NORRIS, Shaun | -11 | €219,556.35 |
| 6 | DETRY, Thomas | -10 | €168,955.47 |
| | GUERRIER, Julien | -10 | €168,955.47 |
| 8 | AYORA, Angel | -9 | €123,500.45 |
| | SULLIVAN, Andy | -9 | €123,500.45 |
| 10 | FERGUSON, Ewen | -8 | €90,395.47 |
| 10 | LI, Haotong | -8 | €90,395.47 |
| 16 | MCKIBBIN, Tom | -6 | €71,613.11 |
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