Adam Scott takes career earnings past $100m by making PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta

Only five players in PGA Tour history have won more money than Adam Scott, who has pushed his career earnings into nine figures ahead of another monster payday.

Adam Scott has reached a new milestone. Picture: Christian Petersen / Getty Images North America / Getty Images via AFP

Adam Scott will make more than $800,000 just for turning up to the PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta this week as the golfing arms race sparked by the arrival of LIV pushed the winner’s cheque at the 30-man, season-ending event to just short of $37m.

The eye-watering cheques are part of a $147m prize pool being shared by the 30 players at East Lakes Golf Club, with Scott the only Australian set to reap the spoils.

For context, just three years ago, before LIV launched in 2022, the total prize pool for the 2021 tournament, won by Patrick Cantlay, was a mere $67m.

The cash won by Scott, who will enter the scaled final event of the PGA Tour season seven shots behind No.1 ranked Scott Scheffler when the opening round begins on Thursday night, is a drop in the ocean compared with his all-time earnings.

His second-place finish in the BMW Championship, a shot behind Keegan Bradley, not only moved the 44-year-old to world No.21 but also took his career PGA Tour earnings past $100m, which puts him sixth on the all-time list, after collecting $2.2m.

After falling just short of the victory, Adam Scott shared a special moment with his family. pic.twitter.com/2SfERyW6J7

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 26, 2024

The five players ahead of Scott include Scheffler, who has been a major beneficiary of widespread prize pool increases in the past three years.

Scheffler only turned professional in 2018 and won his first PGA Tour event in 2022 but has already collected nearly $106m in prizemoney to be third on the all-time list, with only Rory McIlroy ($134m) and Tiger Woods ($177m) ahead of him.

Ironically, Scott will be paid nothing when he racks up another staggering achievement next month when he takes part in an 11th Presidents Cup.

Scott has played on every International team since 2003, a year after one of his teammates this year, Tom Kim, was born.

Only Phil Mickelson, who featured on 12 US teams, has played in more Presidents Cups than Scott, who has maintained that despite his age he is not even close to done on the PGA Tour.

Automatic qualifiers are locked in 🔒
 
Meet the first six members of the @PresidentsCup International Team.
 #IntlTeam | #PresidentsCuppic.twitter.com/8qCiVhYMJA

— Presidents Cup International Team (@IntlTeam) August 25, 2024

His run at the PGA Tour playoffs this year has secured Scott a start in all eight “signature” events in 2025, with more monster paydays, and his streak of playing in 93-straight major championships will continue at the Masters, with his top-10 finish at the British Open at Royal Troon also securing him a spot in the field next year.

“I’ve been a winner on the PGA Tour and I believe I can still be a winner on the PGA Tour,” said Scott, who hasn’t won since 2020.

“I expect more out of myself, but I’m at an interesting point in my career.

“I’m balancing and juggling a lot of things just at the golf course, let alone the rest of my life. The game’s moving fast and that’s a different thing for someone from my generation, I believe. And trying to get everything in line and stay competitive has been the biggest challenge.

“I still believe I have the game in me to be in that elite group of players on the PGA Tour and I still think I’ve got some wins in me out here.”