Yearly PGA Tour Money Leaders

The PGA Tour money list goes back to 1934. Below are the PGA Tour money leaders, organized by decade.

Tiger Woods holds the record for most times leading the PGA Tour money list, currently 10 seasons. Jack Nicklaus is next, he was the money list leader eight times.

2020s
2024 — Scottie Scheffler, $29,228,357
2023 — Scottie Scheffler, $21,014,342
2022 — Scottie Scheffler, $14,046,910
2021 — Jon Rahm, $7,705,933
2020 — Justin Thomas, $7,344,040

Scheffler, in 2022, was the first golfer to cross the single-season $13 million and $14 million thresholds. But the following year, after an explosion in purse sizes, Scheffler blasted into the 20 millions and very nearly the 30 millions.

2010s
2019 — Brooks Koepka, $9,684,006
2018 — Justin Thomas, $8,694,821
2017 — Justin Thomas, $9,921,560
2016 — Dustin Johnson, $9,365,185
2015 — Jordan Spieth, $12,030,465
2014 — Rory McIlroy, $8,280,096
2013 — Tiger Woods, $8,553,439
2012 — Rory McIlroy, $8,047,952
2011 — Luke Donald, $6,683,214
2010 — Matt Kuchar, $4,910,477

Spieth, in 2015, was the first-ever PGA Tour player to cross the $11 million and $12 million single-season earnings thresholds.

2000s
2009 — Tiger Woods, $10,508,163
2008 — Vijay Singh, $6,601,094
2007 — Tiger Woods, $10,867,052
2006 — Tiger Woods, $9,941,563
2005 — Tiger Woods, $10,628,024
2004 — Vijay Singh, $10,905,166
2003 — Vijay Singh, $7,573,907
2002 — Tiger Woods, $6,912,625
2001 — Tiger Woods, $5,687,777
2000 — Tiger Woods, $9,188,321

Seven times Tiger Woods was the PGA Tour money leader in the 2000-oughts, and the other three times it was Vijay Singh. Singh became the first to pass the $10 million single-season earnings level in 2004.

1990s
1999 — Tiger Woods, $6,616,585
1998 — David Duval, $2,591,031
1997 — Tiger Woods, $2,066,833
1996 — Tom Lehman, $1,780,159
1995 — Greg Norman, $1,654,959
1994 — Nick Price, $1,499,927
1993 — Nick Price, $1,478,557
1992 — Fred Couples, $1,344,188
1991 — Corey Pavin, $979,430
1990 — Greg Norman, $1,165,477

Tiger Woods' first time leading the PGA Tour money list was 1997. His second time, 1999, was the first time any golfer cracked $5 million in single-season earnings — and Woods earned far more than that.

1980s
1989 — Tom Kite, $1,395,278
1988 — Curtis Strange, $1,147,644
1987 — Curtis Strange, $925,941
1986 — Greg Norman, $653,296
1985 — Curtis Strange, $542,321
1984 — Tom Watson, $476,260
1983 — Hal Sutton, $426,668
1982 — Craig Stadler, $446,462
1981 — Tom Kite, $375,698
1980 — Tom Watson, $530,808

Tom Watson won his fifth and final PGA Tour money list title in 1984. In 1980, Watson led the way and was the first PGA Tour golfer to pass $500,000 in single-season earnings. The $1 million barrier fell to Curtis Strange in 1988.

1970s
1979 — Tom Watson, $462,636
1978 — Tom Watson, $362,428
1977 — Tom Watson, $310,653
1976 — Jack Nicklaus, $266,498
1975 — Jack Nicklaus, $298,149
1974 — Johnny Miller, $353,021
1973 — Jack Nicklaus, $308,362
1972 — Jack Nicklaus, $320,542
1971 — Jack Nicklaus, $244,490
1970 — Lee Trevino, $157,037

After Lee Trevino opened the decade on top, eight of the next nine years of the 1970s saw the money list led by either Jack Nicklaus or Tom Watson.

1960s
1969 — Frank Beard, $164,707
1968 — Billy Casper, $205,168
1967 — Jack Nicklaus, $188,998
1966 — Billy Casper, $121,944
1965 — Jack Nicklaus, $140,752
1964 — Jack Nicklaus, $113,284
1963 — Arnold Palmer, $128,230
1962 — Arnold Palmer, $81,448
1961 — Gary Player, $64,540
1960 — Arnold Palmer, $75,262

Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player — the "Big 3" — all had money list wins in the 1960s. Palmer was the first to lead the money list with more than $100,000 in 1963, and Billy Casper first cracked the $200,000 level in 1968.

1950s
1959 — Art Wall, $58,167
1958 — Arnold Palmer, $42,607
1957 — Dick Mayer, $65,835
1956 — Ted Kroll, $72,835
1955 — Julius Boros, $63,121
1954 — Bob Toski, $65,819
1953 — Lew Worsham, $34,002
1952 — Julius Boros, $37,032
1951 — Lloyd Mangrum, $26,068
1950 — Sam Snead, $35,758

Arnold Palmer made his presence felt in 1958, with the first of his four total PGA Tour money list wins.

1940s
1949 — Sam Snead, $31,598
1948 — Ben Hogan, $32,112
1947 — Jimmy Demaret, $27,936
1946 — Ben Hogan, $42,556
1945 — Byron Nelson, $63,335
1944 — Byron Nelson, $37,967
1943 — No money list compiled by tour
1942 — Ben Hogan, $13,143
1941 — Ben Hogan, $18,358
1940 — Ben Hogan, $10,655

The decade began with three straight years of Ben Hogan leading the money list. Hogan won again later in the decade, and Byron Nelson and Sam Snead also had wins.

1930s
1939 — Henry Picard, $10,303
1938 — Sam Snead, $19,534.49
1937 — Harry Cooper, $14,138
1936 — Horton Smith, $7,682
1935 — Johnny Revolta, $9,543
1934 — Paul Runyan, $6,767

Photo credit: "Tiger Woods iron off the tee" by Tour Pro Golf Clubs is licensed under CC BY 2.0