However, 72 holes was not enough to decide a champion. In fact, more than $7 million remained unclaimed as Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun battled for first and second place in a three-hole aggregate playoff on Monday. McIlroy ultimately came through with his second Players Championship title, birding the first hole and never looking back during a chilly and windy affair at TPC Sawgrass.
Winner’s share
The winner’s share stood at $4.5 million for the second straight year making it the single highest payout in 2024-25, even more than the four major championships. In order to grab that massive check, McIlroy beat Spaun by two strokes across holes No. 16, No. 17 and No. 18. In doing so, he claimed the $4.5 million prize, nearly double what Spaun will bring home for his second-place finish.
Although The Players Championship is neither a major nor one of the PGA Tour’s “signature events,” its purse does have similarities to the latter. Each of the top-40 players at the week’s end will clear six figures in earnings with those inside the top 13 cashing at least $500,000 each. Golfers who finish inside the top five will each see seven figures hit their respective bank accounts.
Here are the winners from the biggest-money events on the PGA Tour so far throughout the 2025 season.
- The Sentry: Hideki Matsuyama ($3.6 million)
- Pebble Beach Pro Am: Rory McIlroy ($3.6 million)
- Genesis Invitational: Ludvig Åberg ($4 million)
- Arnold Palmer Invitational: Russell Henley ($4 million)
- The Players Championship: Rory McIlroy ($4.5 million)
Let’s take a look at The Players Championship payout broken down through the top 65 players who make the cut and played the weekend at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
2025 Players Championship payout for Rory McIlroy, purse, prize money
Total purse: $25 million
1st: $4,500,000 — Rory McIlroy
2nd: $2,725,000 — J.J. Spaun
3rd: $1,725,000 — Lucas Glover, Tom Hoge, Akshay Bhatia ($1,325,000 each)
4th: $1,225,000
5th: $1,025,000
6th: $906,250 — Corey Conners, Danny Walker, Bud Cauley ($843,750 each)
7th: $843,750
8th: $781,250
9th: $731,250 — Robert MacIntyre
10th: $681,250 — Collin Morikawa, Davis Thompson ($656,250 each)
11th…….
