By Michael Hogue
Staff Artist
Scottie Scheffler is on pace to win more money in a PGA Tour season than anyone, ever.
How good has he been? Scheffler is the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1962 with six PGA Tour victories by the end of June. The Highland Park pro has also finished in the top 10 in 13 of the 15 tournaments he’s entered this year.
He has already surpassed the $27 million mark in earnings, more than double that of second-place Xander Schauffele.
All that success has led to a windfall for Scheffler’s caddie, Ted Scott, a Lafayette, La., native who’s worked with him for two years. And Scheffler has shown no signs of slowing down, giving Scott the chance to break every caddie earnings record.
Although caddie pay can vary based on the caddie’s relationship with the player, the standard pay scale is typically 10% of a player’s earnings for a win, 7% for a top 10 finish and 5% for making the cut.
Based on this formula, Golfweek estimates that Scott has earned $2,633,839 so far in 2024, putting him right between high-profile pros Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth in 2024 Tour earnings.
Scott — who is a 4 handicap golfer — has earned more money than three-quarters of the players on the 2024 PGA money list.
Scott, who caddied for Bubba Watson for 15 years before joining Scheffler, reportedly has an annual base salary of $135,000.
Scheffler’s worst finish of the season was a tie for 41st at the U.S. Open, which netted Scott $3,766. His biggest payday was from The Players Championship. Scott’s share of the purse was $450,000. He also brought home $400K from two other events, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Memorial Tournament.
The winner of this week’s British Open at Troon, Scotland, will receive $3.1 million. If Scheffler claims another major, that would add another $310,000 to Scott’s earnings.
Caddie earnings are unofficial and not public information. But the top caddies make some serious money. Steve Williams, who caddied for Tiger Woods for more than a decade during the peak of Woods’ career, is estimated to have made $12 million during his run.
Scott’s projected earnings in 2024 would match Williams’ total in less than four years. Adjusted for inflation, it’s closer to six years worth of earnings.
Looping has never been so lucrative.
