This year's four men's golf majors were held without "Golf Emperor" Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson (both of the United States). It was a symbolic scene marking the end of an era.
A new generation is already leading the golf world. At the forefront are Scottie Scheffler of the United States and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world. Later generations tend to break the records built by those before them. One of the two, either Scheffler or McIlroy, is expected to soon surpass Woods, who has held the No. 1 spot in career earnings on the U.S. Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Tour for 26 years.
According to PGA Tour statistics as of the 29th (Korea time), Woods ranks first with career earnings of $120,999,166. McIlroy is second with $116,446,772, and Scheffler is third with $116,364,411.
Woods debuted on the PGA Tour in 1996 and rose to the top of the career earnings rankings after finishing runner-up at the Buick Invitational in February 2000, holding the position firmly for 26 years since. He has won 82 times on the PGA Tour, including 15 majors. However, Woods has failed to add to his earnings since receiving $44,400 at the 2024 Masters. As a result, the earnings gap has narrowed to about $4.55 million for McIlroy and about $4.63 million for Scheffler.
The golf world sees a high possibility that the No. 1 career earnings spot will change during the PGA Tour playoffs in August. The playoffs, which open on the 13th of next month and are held over three events, carry a total purse of $80 million. The first event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship, and the second event, the BMW Championship starting on the 20th, each carry a total purse of $20 million.
In particular, the Tour Championship, the final playoff event opening on the 27th, carries a total purse of $40 million. That is twice the $20 million offered at signature events. If McIlroy or Scheffler posts a solid result in these playoffs, they could surpass Woods. If either of the two wins the Tour Championship, they would immediately earn $10 million and rise to the top of the career earnings rankings.
The playoffs field is determined by FedEx Cup points, which convert season performance into a score: the first event features the top 70 players, the second event the top 50, and the final event the top 30. The structure reduces variables as it progresses toward the final event, increasing the chances of a win for the most skilled players. Depending on the circumstances, both Scheffler and McIlroy could overtake Woods in career earnings.
