PGA Championship Payout 2015: Complete Prize Money Purse Info and More
The serene beauty of Whistling Straits Golf Course was on full display Sunday in the final round of the 2015 PGA Championship. The sun sparkled off the deep blue of Lake Michigan throughout the day and gradually set among the rolling hills during the closing stretch of the year’s final major.
None of it was as beautiful as Jason Day’s swing.
The Australian golfer won his first career major Sunday with a five-under 67 to bring his weekend score to a record-setting 20 under par. He became the first player to ever finish a major championship at 20 under par and made himself some impressive money in the process.
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The top prize money payouts for Day and his competition can be found below, and the entire purse distribution is available at ESPN.com.
| 1 | Jason Day | -20 | $1.8 million |
| 2 | Jordan Spieth | -17 | $1,080,000 |
| 3 | Branden Grace | -15 | $680,000 |
| 4 | Justin Rose | -14 | $480,000 |
| T5 | Brooks Koepka | -13 | $367,500 |
| T5 | Anirban Lahiri | -13 | $367,500 |
| T7 | George Coetzee | -12 | $293,000 |
| T7 | Matt Kuchar | -12 | $293,000 |
| T7 | Dustin Johnson | -12 | $293,000 |
| T10 | Robert Streb | -11 | $243,000 |
| T10 | Tony Finau | -11 | $243,000 |
Here is a look at the unbeatable performance by Day and some of the other notable storylines from the 2015 PGA Championship.
Notable PGA Championship Storylines
Jason Day’s Triumph
It takes a special performance to win a major, but it takes an even more impressive performance to do so while playing alongside the world's top golfer in Jordan Spieth as he stalks the top of the leaderboard like his prey.
Day did both Sunday.
He won by three strokes over Spieth, but the result never seemed in doubt after the Australian birdied No. 14 to get to 20 under. Not even Spieth was catching him on this day, which means Day truly earned his first major against the best competition.
It would have been easy in the tense moments for Day to harken back to his near miss at the British Open when he finished one stroke outside of the playoff or to the U.S. Open when he collapsed with vertigo in the second round and fell out of contention during the last day. Instead, he fought through any lingering nerves in the final round of a major and picked up the biggest win of his career.
He wasted little time creating some much-needed separation from Spieth with four birdies in the first seven holes, and he rode that momentum all the way to the finish. Former world No. 1 Tiger Woods sensed it was over before Day even officially won:
Shane Bacon of Fox Sports pointed out the company Day now finds himself with after the PGA Championship:
"In the last 6 majors, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth & Jason Day have combined to win five of them. If you don’t like golf right now, you won’t
— Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) August 16, 2015"
The true importance of Day's victory likely won't be seen until next year's majors. He regularly competed alongside the Spieths and Rory McIlroys of the PGA during majors but always failed to finish the job. He finally did in Wisconsin, and that will likely help him relax and play even looser during the final rounds of future majors.
The cliched monkey is officially off his back, and he ripped it off with determined consistency as Spieth watched in the same pairing.
There was never a moment of hesitation, and that is a significant step forward for Day. Don't be surprised if the confidence that comes from the Wanamaker Trophy propels Day to a number of major victories in the near future.
Jordan Spieth’s Victory Even in Defeat
Technically, Day won the PGA Championship Sunday, but best of luck convincing golf fans Spieth didn't also win with his second-place performance.
Spieth tallied three birdies on the back nine and finished with a four-under 68 Sunday to bring his tournament score to 17 under par. His overall consistency throughout the year made him the first golfer to finish in the top four of every major in a season since Woods' 2005 campaign and helped him break another record, per SportsCenter:
"An incredible season for Jordan Spieth. His -54 combined score in majors beats Tiger Woods in 2000 for lowest ever. pic.twitter.com/Kfw8xYcDqM
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 16, 2015"
However, the record-breaking performance was not why Spieth was ultimately a winner even in defeat Sunday. Thanks to his second-place finish and McIlroy's 17th-place finish, Spieth took over the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The Northern Ireland native was notably gracious while giving up his perch at the top of the rankings:
It is only fitting that the golfer who won the Masters and U.S. Open and finished a stroke outside the playoff at the British Open and in second place at the PGA Championship is No. 1 in the world. The 22-year-old Spieth is the second-youngest player to accomplish the feat (Tiger Woods was 21 in 1997), and he commented on his mindset, per Bob Harig of ESPN.com:
"I accomplished one of my life-long goals and in the sport of golf. That will never be taken away from me now. I'll always be a No. 1 player in the world. That's what, when I look back on this year, the consistency that we have had this year and especially being able to step it up in the biggest stages, that's a huge confidence builder, and that's what's allowed us as a team to become the best, the No. 1 ranked, and I believe right now, the best in the world.
"
Spieth wasn't the best golfer at Whistling Straits over the course of the PGA Championship, but he is the best golfer in the world in the midst of a brilliant season.
Rory McIlroy’s Important Step Forward
McIlroy ultimately lost his No. 1 ranking and finished in 17th place at the PGA Championship, but his performance was also important moving forward.
He fought through an ankle injury that kept him out of the British Open and didn't look much different than the golfer fans saw in June in his last appearance. The apparent lack of significant rust should be alarming to the rest of the field because McIlroy didn't look too far from competing for titles again on his way to a nine-under par tournament.
The fact that he did so by finishing under par in every round on a particularly hilly and uneven course that tested his ankle is also notable. Just wait until he is playing on flatter surfaces with some extra recovery time under his belt.
McIlroy finished in the top 10 at the Masters, The Players Championship and the U.S. Open this year and added a top-20 outing at the PGA Championship even at less than 100 percent health. He even turned in one of the most impressive par saves of the entire event, per Bleacher Report:
"Rory McIlroy hits it out of the water to save par at the #PGAChamp https://t.co/nx7bQseqhW
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 13, 2015"
That is still an incredible year even though McIlroy is no longer No. 1. Perhaps if McIlroy stayed healthy he would still be atop the rankings, but the way he bounced back and earned a top-20 finish should give him momentum moving forward into next year’s major tournaments.
He will also have new motivation chasing someone from the No. 2 spot in the world rankings.
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