Masters Increases Purse to $21 Million

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alex Miceli | Last updated Apr 12, 2025 4:03 PM ET

AUGUSTA, Ga. - The Masters took an unusual step in the prize money arms race by not only increasing the purse for the 89^th Masters to $21 Million, but increasing the winner cut to $4.2 million or 20 percent of the prize money.

Traditionally, the winners on the PGA Tour and in major events have been limited to 18 percent of the prize fund, with some limited exceptions, like the Genesis Invitational, a signature event on the PGA Tour where the winner received 20 percent of the $20 million purse.

Last year’s Masters winner Scottie Scheffler won $3.6 million or 18 percent from a purse of $20 million.

The rest of the 2025 field will see increases in amounts, with the top four finishers earning over $1 million, including $2.268 million for the runner-up.

Even a missed cut is paid out at $25,000 in 2025, compared to $15,000 last year.

In the first Masters in 1934, the total purse was $5,000, with winner Horton Smith taking home $1,500 and only 12 of the 72 players receiving any money.

It wasn’t until 1951 that Ben Hogan took home $3,000 for winning the Masters, that every player in the field earned a paycheck.

That year, the purse was $17,100, and all players, regardless of whether they made the cut, received $100.

The first $1 million winner at the Masters came in 2001 when Tiger Woods beat David Duval by two shots and took home $1,008 million.

The winner check increased to $2,07 million in 2019 when Woods defeated the trio of Dustin Jonson, Brooks Koepka, and Xander Schauffele by a shot.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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