PGA Championship Purse 2012: What Rory McIlroy Would Make with Tournament Win

That 2012 PGA Championship purse is so close that Rory McIlroy can taste it.

After a Round 2 five-over-par performance that McIlroy would rather not remember, he birdied five out of the first eight holes on Saturday to tie Vijay Singh for the tournament lead. One day of strong golf stands between McIlroy and his second major victory, and of course, that monster payout.

According to PGA.com, the 2012 PGA Championship purse is $8 million.

According to Jonathan Wall of Yahoo! Sports, McIlroy talked about his goals going into the final major of the year before he teed off. He said:

"

For me, I would say get in contention, give myself a chance to win on Sunday. That's all I can ask for. You know, I can't sit up here and say, you know, a success would be to win or a top three or a top five. If I feel like I have a decent chance going into Sunday, that's all I can ask for.

"

McIlroy will start Sunday with more than a “decent chance” to win. He should be the favorite. And let’s just say that doing so would be a great relief.

After winning the 2011 U.S. Open, many were quick to label McIlroy “the next Tiger Woods.”

He hasn’t won since.

In the 2009 and 2010 PGA Championships, McIlroy finished third, so he’s had plenty of success in the event. Of course, his loss in 2010 was more about his collapse than top-five finish.

That’s why there’s more than money on the line this weekend. Sure, winning $8 million is nice (OK, it’s really nice). But a victory at Kiawah Island would make the couple poor finishes he’s had in past major tournaments a distant memory.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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