The Korn Ferry Tour season culminated with the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, a tournament where 74 players vied not only for victory but also for coveted PGA Tour cards. While 30 players secured their PGA Tour status through the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, a significant amount of prize money was also at stake throughout the 26-event season. This raises the question: how much did the top Korn Ferry Tour player earn, and how does this compare to earnings on the PGA Tour?
Matt McCarty emerged as the top earner on the Korn Ferry Tour Money List, securing his place among the 30 players advancing to the PGA Tour. His impressive season, highlighted by three victories, resulted in total earnings of $1,001,602. This figure significantly surpasses the earnings of the runner-up on the list, Max McGreevy, who earned $766,813 and will also be competing on the PGA Tour next season.
Max McGreevy at the Simmons Bank Open
McCarty’s substantial earnings were largely driven by his victories. He claimed $180,000 at both the Price Cutter Charity Championship and the Pinnacle Bank Championship. His most significant payday of the year came at the Albertsons Boise Open, the first Korn Ferry Tour Finals event, where he pocketed $270,000. An additional $54,375 from a T5 finish at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship pushed McCarty’s earnings past the million-dollar mark for the year. To put this into perspective, McCarty’s prize money far exceeds the average Korn Ferry Tour earnings for the year, which stood at $112,503.
Korn Ferry Tour Earnings vs. PGA Tour Average
While Matt McCarty’s Korn Ferry Tour season was financially rewarding, it’s crucial to compare these earnings to the financial landscape of the PGA Tour. Unlike the Korn Ferry Tour season which has concluded, the PGA Tour season is ongoing with the FedEx Cup Fall events still to come. However, data following the Sanderson Farm Championship provides a clear picture: average earnings on the PGA Tour are considerably higher than what McCarty earned on the Korn Ferry Tour.
The average PGA Tour earnings currently stand at $1,956,000. To find a PGA Tour player with lower earnings than McCarty’s impressive Korn Ferry Tour total, you would need to look down to 121st on the PGA Tour money list. Nico Echavarria, in that position, has earned $977,660, still less than McCarty’s Korn Ferry Tour leading sum, but illustrating the proximity in earnings for players at different levels.
Nico Echavarria at the Wyndham Championship
Interestingly, McCarty himself appears on the 2024 PGA Tour Money List due to an early appearance at the Sanderson Farms Championship, where he finished T63 and earned $16,340. This placed him 232nd on the list. However, this amount pales in comparison to the top PGA Tour earner, Scottie Scheffler, whose official earnings are an astounding $29,228,357, excluding the $30 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup.
In conclusion, Matt McCarty’s remarkable performance on the Korn Ferry Tour earned him over $1 million, a testament to his skill and consistency. However, when juxtaposed with the average and top earnings on the PGA Tour, it becomes evident that players transitioning from the Korn Ferry Tour to the PGA Tour, including McCarty, can anticipate a significant increase in potential financial rewards in the upcoming season, provided their form continues.
