The 2025 Principal Charity Classic is underway at the 102-year-old Wakonda Club, starting May 30. Talking about the renovations at the historic golf club, defending champion Ernie Els said ahead of the event, “It gives me good vibes. You always get good vibes. You reflect in the past and on the good things that you’ve done here before.” Of course, that means the legend is directly warning the other elite players present at the Wakonda Club about the amazing perks at the 2025 Principal Charity Classic.

So, what’s at stake at the Principal Charity Classic? As per the official website, quite a lot! Apart from the title of the 12th event on the senior circuit, the winner will take home $300,000 out of the $2 million purse, which in turn reflects the standard 15% payout according to the PGA Tour Champions’ prize money distribution chart. Similarly, the second-placed golfer will receive $176,000 (8.80%) from the purse, with the third-placed golfer taking home $144,000 (7.20%). A total of 4 top finishers will take home more than $100,00, with the 4th placed golfer earning $120,000. Aside from that, a total of 10 top finishers will bring home more than $50,000, so the event is quite lucrative. Here’s a breakdown of the purse:-

Beyond the cash, the Principal Charity Classic offers many more perks, especially for the winner. The money players earn in the tournament goes directly to the Charles Schwab Cup points list, meaning every dollar they make counts as a point toward qualifying for the 2025 playoffs. The best players also receive extra rewards. At the end of the 2025 season, the top five players will split a big bonus pool of $2.1 million, distributed as annuities based on their points. However, it’s worth mentioning that the PGA Tour Champions does not award Official World Golf Ranking points for its events. Now that we know what everyone will take home, here are a few golfers to watch out for at the Principal Charity Classic.

The elite veteran roster at Wakonda Club has a tournament record to break

In 2024, Ernie Els, a first-time Tour Champions winner, set a tournament record by scoring a total of 195 over the three-day event. This amazing achievement included a low 18-hole score of 62, which he achieved three times, with the last one occurring in Round 1 of 2024. However, it might be a bit harder for players to score that low this time. Last year, the tournament officials made the course easier for the players, but this year, they want to create a more challenging experience. The renovations featured brand new tee boxes with redesigned placements, adding length to the championship tees and shortening the forward tees while spacing the yardages correctly. Additionally, they expanded over 10 acres of fairway space and connected two sets of fairways—specifically, holes 8 & 10 and 11 & 15.

There are still a few golfers that the fans can keep their eyes on. Defending champion Ernie Els leads a group of seven members from the World Golf Hall of Fame, including Padraig Harrington, Bernhard Langer, and Fred Couples. Harrington has had a tough year, missing the cut in all his PGA Tour events, but he finished in the top 10 in three of his Champions Tour events, including a second-place finish at the Senior PGA Championship. Bernhard Langer has performed well, achieving six top-20 finishes, with three of those in the top 10. Lastly, Fred Couples has played in four PGA Tour Champions events and earned three top-20 finishes.

Other notable players in the Principal Charity Classic include two-time champion Stephen Ames, who won in 2021 and 2023 and was the runner-up in 2024. The field also features Charles Schwab Cup leader Miguel Angel Jiménez and Hall of Famer Retief Goosen.