What do caddies get paid on PGA Tour golf?
What do caddies get paid on PGA Tour? What do caddies get paid in golf? What do caddies get paid on the PGA Tour? What do caddies get paid at the US Masters, the Open, the Ryder Cup and the PGA Tour? Watch & Bet on Golf Live =>
What do caddies get paid in the PGA Tour golf?
The top players in the world are finishing up their preparations as the first rays of spring appear over the softly sloping hills of Augusta National Golf Club.
The magnolia trees serve as quiet sentinels, the azaleas are in full bloom, and the gamer who can successfully explore the sacred grounds will get a record-breaking financial reward.
The 90th Masters Tournament, which will take place from April 9–12, 2026, is a financial bonanza that keeps breaking records in addition to being the height of athletic excellence.
The numbers emerging beyond those immaculate gates tell a tale of extraordinary growth for the most famous major in the game, even if Augusta National upholds its history of discretion—the club usually only releases official purse information during tournament week. Watch and bet on golf here =>
Average Salaries for PGA Tour Caddies
Caddies on the PGA Tour typically make between $1,500 and $3,000 a week, although caddies for well-known players like Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler make much more. Golfers on the PGA Tour now make more money than ever for winning an event. Golfers may now distribute the income among their squad, including their caddy, since twelve events offer rewards of at least $20 million.
PGA caddies make between $1,500 and $3,000 a week, depending on their expertise level. The lower end of this spectrum is what caddies on the Korn Ferry Tour or novice players might anticipate earning.
Veteran caddie Brennan Little claims that caddies to highly ranked and seasoned players might receive incentives and increases for their efforts. Caddies might anticipate earning between $2,000 and $4,000 for major tournaments like the Masters.
A portion of the prize money is also given to caddies, depending on where their player finishes. Caddies receive 10% of the prize money in the Masters, 5% for all other finishers, and 7% for those who place in the top 10. Ted Scott, Scottie Scheffler’s caddy, allegedly made $360,000, or 10% of the $3.6 million Scheffler earned as the champion, after Scheffler won the Masters once more last year.
This is a great opportunity to look up how much the winner gets in prize money for winning the US Masters 2026. Watch and bet on golf here =>
What do caddies get paid at the US Masters?
So how much money does the winner of US Masters make? Rory McIlroy earned $4.2 million at the Masters last year, with an estimated $420,000 going to Harry Diamond, his caddy. The runner-up, Justin Rose, collected $2.268 million, while his caddy, Mark “Fooch” Fulcher, got about $226,800.
According to ESPN analyst and former caddie Michael Collins, a caddie typically receives 10% of a player’s winnings if they win, 7% for a top 10 finish, and 5% for making the cut, though each caddie’s pay scale varies slightly based on their experience and history with a player. “Every player and caddy negotiates that number. A contract between a player and a caddy does not exist, he declared.
Caddies also receive a weekly payment in addition to their portion of the tournament’s profits. The Association of Professional Caddies and the Caddies Network estimate that the weekly salary ranges from $2,000 to $4,000 because caddies are responsible for covering their own travel, housing, and food expenses. Caddies Network CEO John von Stade told CBS, “But what hasn’t changed is that there is no other source of money other than the weekly fee if your player doesn’t make the cut.”
How Caddie Pay Works: The “10-7-5” Rule: Caddie compensation at the US Masters follows a standard structure used across the PGA Tour, often referred to as the “10-7-5” rule.
| Component | Amount | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly Base Salary | $2,000 – $4,000 | Covers the week of the tournament; varies by caddie experience and player agreement |
| Win Bonus | 10% of prize money | For the champion’s caddie |
| Top 10 Finish Bonus | 7% of prize money | For caddies whose players finish in the top 10 |
| Standard Bonus | 5% of prize money | For all other players who make the cut |
These percentages are applied to the player’s official prize money.
For the 2026 Masters, with a winner’s share of $4.5 million, the champion’s caddie will earn a staggering $450,000—just from the win bonus alone.
This does not include the weekly base salary, which typically falls in the $2,000 to $4,000 range for Masters week.
Recent Years’ Masters Caddie Payouts
The earnings for caddies at Augusta have skyrocketed alongside the tournament’s purses.
Based on the 10% win bonus structure, here’s what recent champions’ caddies have taken home:
| Year | Champion | Winner’s Prize | Caddie | Caddie’s Win Bonus (10%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $4,500,000 | $450,000 | ||
| 2025 | Rory McIlroy | $4,200,000 | Harry Diamond | $420,000 |
| 2024 | Scottie Scheffler | $3,240,000 | Ted Scott | $324,000 |
| 2023 | Jon Rahm | $3,240,000 | Adam Hayes | $324,000 |
For 2026, that figure climbs to $450,000—a 25% increase from 2025 and more than the total prize money the US Masters champion earned as recently as 2006.
The winner will get $4.5 million from this year’s $22.5 million Masters payout. As a result, the 2026 Masters winner’s caddy may earn an estimated $450,000. In 2024, renowned Augusta caddie Jim Dent told Garden & Gun that “caddies make more money in one win than a man might see in his lifetime”. Watch and bet on golf here =>
US Masters prize money for caddies
While the world focuses on the champion slipping into the green jacket, the man (or woman) carrying the bag is quietly celebrating a life-changing payday of their own.
The caddie’s role at Augusta National is more crucial than ever—offering club selection, reading the treacherous greens, and providing emotional stability under the most intense pressure in golf.
And for one week in April, their compensation rivals that of top executives.
What do caddies get paid at the Open?
Professional caddies at The Open Championship (as well as the PGA Tour and DP World Tour) do not receive a set, uniform wage from the competition itself. Rather, a weekly basic charge plus a portion of their player’s prize money earnings make up their compensation.
The golfer pays the caddies a certain amount simply for showing there and taking care of the necessities. This often falls between $2,000 and $4,000 every week for a major tournament like as The Open. Depending on where the player finishes, the caddy gets a portion of the prize money if the golfer makes the weekend cut. It follows the usual “5/7/10” model.
What do caddies get paid at Ryders Cup?
Caddies work under a whole different payment scheme at the Ryder Cup than they do at major championships or other tour venues.
The Ryder Cup does not have an official tournament purse or prize money, as it is an exhibition competition. As a result, the conventional performance-based payment structure—in which a caddy receives a 5% to 10% portion of a sizeable winner’s cheque—is absent from this situation.
Rather, caddies get a combination of external bonuses, player generosity, and set tournament stipends. The organisers pay the caddies directly to cover their time and effort, even though players have always played solely for pride and nation. Caddies often get a fixed, guaranteed base salary of between $15,000 and $30,000 for a Ryder Cup week.
Beginning with the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, the PGA of America instituted a new regulation that awarded each of the 12 American players a $500,000 pay package ($200,000 as a personal stipend and $300,000 to a charity of their choosing).
What do caddies get paid at the US Masters?
Caddies at The US Masters are paid according to the same basic formula as in previous major competitions: a weekly base fee plus a portion of the player’s winnings. Nonetheless, the Masters rewards for caddies are among the greatest in the game, as Augusta National is home to the best-paying major golf competition.
The average weekly base price for a caddy at the Masters is between $2,000 and $4,000. In order to help cover the caddie’s expensive out-of-pocket travel expenses, local lodging in Augusta, and meals, the golfer pays this money directly.
The entire prize fund for the 2026 Masters reached a record $22.5 million, with the winner taking home an enormous $4.5 million, demonstrating how profitable this is. Harry Diamond, Rory McIlroy’s long-time caddy, received an estimated $450,000 bonus for just one week of work after McIlroy won the Masters for the second time in a row last month.
Scottie Scheffler earned $2.43 million after finishing in second place. Ted Scott, his caddy, made about $170,100 (7% cut). A player who finished close to the bottom of the weekend field—for example, in 50th place—earned around $55,000. In addition to their regular fee, their caddy received around $2,750 from the purse share.
What do caddies get paid if player misses cut?
The caddy earns 0% in performance incentives if a player misses the cut on Friday. In this case, the weekly basic stipend that was decided upon with the player before to the event is the only source of compensation for the caddy.
The Base Payout: Depending on the player’s rank and contract, the caddy receives just their fixed weekly pay, which often varies from $1,500 to $4,000.
The Net Loss: As independent contractors, professional caddies are responsible for covering their own airfare, lodging, vehicle rentals, meals, and course yardage books.
These costs can often surpass $2,000 to $3,000 for many tournaments, particularly those involving overseas travel or busy weeks like major finals. The caddy usually loses money or only breaks even for that workweek if a player misses the cut.
More about PGA Tour golf
The PGA Tour purse is bigger than ever in major golf championships and other golf tournaments. See the golf calendar for upcoming golf tournaments during the year. You can read more about the Masters.com and PGA Tour golf and at their official websites here and here here. Watch and bet on golf here =>
Table of Contents
