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PGA Tour prize money: what a winner's check is worth after the caddie and the tax collector

Answer the question that payout tables never answer — how much of the printed prize a player actually keeps — using published tax rates and clearly labelled industry conventions, so a reader can tell which parts are law and which parts are custom.

See What Actually Reaches the Bank

PGA Tour prize money: what a winner's check is worth after the caddie and the tax collector

Work a tournament check down through the caddie's customary percentage and the state and federal income tax that applies to it — with the 2026 3M Open's $1,584,000 first prize loaded as the starting example.

Uses: Prize money won · Caddie's percentage · State where the tournament was played · Federal marginal rate

This is an estimate for general understanding, not tax advice, and it does not model self-employment tax, deductible expenses, multi-state credits or any individual's circumstances. Tax rates change and filing situations differ. For any real decision, talk to a qualified tax professional and rely on the IRS and your state revenue department, not on this page.

Example — adjust the inputs above for your situation

$1,584,000 on the leaderboard, an estimated $757,706 in hand — about 47.8% of the number in the headline.

The caddie's percentage comes off first: $158,400 at 10%. What is left, $1,425,600, is what tax applies to — a caddie's pay is a business expense for a self-employed player. Federal tax at a 37% marginal rate is $527,472. Minnesota's top bracket is 9.85%, reached above $203,150 of taxable income for a single filer in 2026. Applied to this check that is $140,422. That leaves an estimated $757,706. This is an estimate of the largest, most documentable deductions only — not a tax return, and not advice.

Gross prize money
$1,584,000
Caddie's share (10%)
− $158,400
Taxable after the caddie
$1,425,600
Federal income tax (37% marginal)
− $527,472
Minnesota income tax (9.85%)
− $140,422
Estimated take-home
$757,706
Share of the printed figure kept
47.8%
  • ※ Applying the top marginal rate to the whole check slightly overstates tax, because lower brackets are taxed at lower rates. For a seven-figure prize the difference is small; for a small check it is not.
  • ※ Self-employment tax, deductible expenses (travel, coaching, equipment, agent fees), and credits for tax paid to other states are not modelled. Those move the number in both directions.
  • ※ Caddie percentages are an industry convention, not a rule. Real agreements are private contracts and vary; some caddies take less on a win, some take more.
  • ※ Where a player lives matters separately: a resident of a taxing state generally reports income earned everywhere and claims a credit for tax paid to the state where a tournament was played.

How this is calculated

The caddie's percentage is deducted from the gross prize first, because it is the player's business expense and reduces the income the player is taxed on. Federal tax is applied to that remainder at the marginal rate the reader selects, defaulting to 37% — the top 2026 federal rate, which applies above $640,600 of taxable income for a single filer. State tax is applied to the same remainder at the chosen state's top marginal rate: 9.85% for Minnesota, where the 3M Open is played; 13.3% for California; zero for Florida and Texas, which levy no income tax. A nonresident professional owes tax to the state where the money is earned — ordinary nonresident sourcing, commonly called the jock tax, which 41 states apply in some form. The result is gross minus caddie minus federal minus state. Caddie percentages come from the widely reported 10/7/5 convention (10% of a win, 7% of a top-10, 5% otherwise) and are a custom, not a rule.

Data as of July 25, 2026 · verified July 25, 2026 · v1

Assumptions, limitations & sources

Assumptions

  • · The whole check is taxed at the selected marginal rate. Real returns run income through every lower bracket first, so this overstates tax somewhat — slightly for a large prize, substantially for a small one.
  • · The caddie's percentage is treated as a deductible business expense, reducing taxable income.
  • · Prize money from a tournament is sourced to the state where the tournament is played.
  • · A single filer with no other modelled income, deductions or credits.

Limitations

  • · This is an estimate of the two largest deductions, not a tax return, and it is not tax advice. A touring professional's actual return involves an accountant and a schedule of states.
  • · Self-employment tax, the Medicare surtax, travel and coaching costs, equipment, agent fees, entry costs, and retirement-plan deferrals are all excluded. They move the final figure in both directions.
  • · Credits for tax paid to another state are not modelled. A player domiciled in a taxing state generally reports the income at home and claims a credit for what was paid where the tournament was held; the two rarely cancel exactly.
  • · Caddie agreements are private contracts. The 10/7/5 split is the reported convention, not a guarantee of what any individual caddie was paid.
  • · Endorsement income, appearance fees, bonus pools and deferred programs are not prize money and are not included.

Sources

This tool accompanies our reporting — read the full story for context.

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The story behind this tool

Money

The 3M Open paid out $8.8 million on Sunday. About half the winner's check never reaches the winner

Jackson Koivun's first PGA Tour title came with $1,584,000 attached. A caddie's customary cut, Minnesota's 9.85% top rate and a 37% federal bracket all get there before he does — and the arithmetic is not a secret, just unpublished.