The PGA Tour’s history stretches back to 1916, providing over a century of world-class golfing entertainment. But which PGA Tour events have the biggest prizes?

The PGA is easily the most popular golf tour on the planet, reflected in the enormous purses on offer at events such as The Players Championship and The Masters.

There are ample opportunities to win too, with 48 events in the 2021-2022 PGA Tour calendar. As you can imagine, that makes for a bucket-load of money-making potential.

No wonder Tiger Woods has earned more than $120m in prize money over the years. Golfers play because of an immutable passion for the sport first and foremost, but the financial rewards are increasingly desirable.

With that in mind, keep reading for a detailed look at the golfing events on the PGA Tour with the biggest prizes.

The top five PGA Tour tournaments by prize money

PGA Tour golfers easily enjoy the largest prize purses during the tour, with no other golfing league even really coming close. To put things into perspective, total prize money over 2021-22 will hit almost $500m. Take a look below for a breakdown of the top five highest paying tournaments:

Tour Championship ($18m)

Generally considered the “fifth major”, albeit not officially, the Tour Championship season-ender is the most lucrative event on the PGA Tour, with a winner’s pot of $18m. Winners also claim the FedEx Cup, while almost $60m is divided between the top 30 players on the PGA Tour.

The Players Championship ($3.6m)

Although The Players Championship isn’t a major, the tournament has a much larger prize pool than events such as The Masters or the US Open.

Winners receive $3.6m of an overall $16.4m prize pot, placing it second in the PGA Tour prize money rankings.

The Masters/PGA Championship/FedEx St. Jude Championship/The BMW Championship ($2.7m)

Arguably the most famous golf championship of the lot, The Masters has upped its prize pool once again for the 2021-2022 season, offering a $2.7m winner’s prize.

Played at the iconic Augusta National Golf Club, runners-up get a split of the remaining $12.3m.

The PGA Championship’s overall prize pool also increased to $15m, giving winners another $2.7m.

Two other events, the FedEx St. Jude Championship and The BMW Championship, also feature a $2.7m winner’s prize and $15m overall purse.

All four championships are tied for third place at $2.7m.

The US Open ($2.25m)

Tiger Woods missed out on the 2022 US Open, but there were still several reasons for players to enjoy it, particularly the $2.25m winner’s prize.

It was Matt Fitzpatrick who collected the winners’ prize and the US Open comes fourth in our rankings with an overall purse of $12.5m.

WGC Dell Technologies Match Play/The Genesis Invitational/Arnold Palmer Invitational/The Memorial ($2.16m)

Four events on the PGA Tour are tied for fifth place with a $2.16m winner’s prize available.

Both the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play and The Genesis Invitational have had an increased overall prize pot of $12m for the 2021-2022 season. Meanwhile, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Memorial retain their eye-catching $2.16m winner’s prizes.

How to enhance your enjoyment of the PGA Tour

Don’t get us wrong, it’s fascinating to know about the highest prizes on offer during the PGA Tour, but most of us mere mortals don’t have any chance of ever getting our hands on them.

Instead, we must look for other ways to boost our enjoyment and appreciation of the PGA Tour.

Of course, watching professional golfers in action is one of the best ways, although tickets can be hard to come by, especially for events such as The Masters.

Many golfing enthusiasts are turning to sportsbooks to increase the thrill of watching competitions. The possibilities are endless with golf betting, and the basics are straightforward to learn.

Read about the common bet types, offers and tips in dedicated golf betting guides to add another dimension to your enjoyment of the PGA Tour.

Why is the PGA Tour the gold standard in professional golf?

With all this talk of the PGA Tour, it’s easy to forget there are other golf tours out there. Although they can have some quality courses and competitions, there’s no beating the PGA Tour.

It is the definitive gold standard for professional golf, featuring the best courses, the biggest prizes and the most talented golfers.

It’s also nice that some events such as The Masters invite golfers from other tours like the European circuit.

In this way, PGA Tour enthusiasts also have a few opportunities every year to check out how the golfers on the other side of the Atlantic are performing.