It doesn’t take much for the PGA Tour to ruffle the wrong feathers. And this time, Jay Monahan is leading the charge. According to a copy of the golf league’s most recently filed tax return, the tour commissioner made some big money in 2023. At a time when the league was already battling complaints of lesser pay—forcing them to opt for a meteoric rise in prize purse to combat LIV Golf threats this year—and soaring legal fees in the LIV Golf lawsuit that put tour officials in a chokehold, Monahan’s compensation wasn’t exactly welcomed by the community.

As per Sportico’s latest reports, the 54-year-old commissioner earned $12.1 million in bonuses and incentives, $6.7 million in post-2023 long-term incentive compensation, $2.5 in million post-retirement benefits, and $1,887,096 in base salary, bringing his total compensation to a staggering $23.1 million. Around $9 million in that figure have reportedly been deferred to future years and could therefore change in value based on long-term interest rates, a PGA Tour insider said.

Not just that, the PGA Tour’s chief operating officer, Ronald Price, also joined the nine-figure club with around $13 million in regular and deferred compensation (this also includes bonuses and incentives worth $7.8 million).

Notably, the non-profit organization earned $1.82 billion in revenue last year, with $2.52 billion in sales of non-inventory assets, bringing its yearly gross receipts total to $4.33 billion. Interestingly, this also includes a high sum of $18.7 million in legal fees (down from the $21 million fee in 2022) acquired in the tour’s battle against LIV Golf.

Apart from this, PGA Tour Enterprises’ board of directors also pocketed high sums last year, including $24,941,352 for Rory McIlroy, $20,648,992 for Tiger Woods, $16,289,765 for Jordan Spieth, $13,774,987 for Patrick Cantlay, and $1,608,077 for Peter Malnati. The filing also documented $27.9 million and $22.8 million in earnings for Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm (before he left the tour to join LIV Golf at the end of last year).

Through all of this, the one thing that’s stayed constant is the community’s contempt for the commissioner’s lucrative pays, with one golfer also taking it to social media to draw some attention to the disparity.

While one social media user called Monahan the “worst commissioner in golf history” and noted that all the money benefits were wasted on him, Wesley Bryan was part of the many golfers who could not finish inside the Top 125 on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Standings; he was 128th on the FedExCup Fall rankings and lost their playing privileges for the 2025 season. Just as fans, Bryan was shocked too as he commented on the NUCLE Golf’s tweet, “I think he was 77x more valuable than me last year 😅.”

After playing 18 events in the 2024 season, Bryan made a meager $989,580. Even in 2023, when Monahan raked in $23 million, the 34-year-old pro earned only $297,461, which is nothing compared to what Monahan has earned.

One thing’s for sure: just as the PGA Tour increased its prize purses for many events, Monahan’s bonuses have also increased. So, just how much did he earn in 2021 and 2022?

Jay Monahan’s salary compared to the past two seasons

Jay Monahan’s compensation in the 2023 season was better than what 567 golfers earned in their career on the PGA Tour, and that includes players like Fred Couples, Sahith Theegala, and Stephen Ames, to name a few. Undoubtedly, Monahan’s compensation is more than what people expected him to get. Coincidentally, it has been increasing every year.

In 2022, Monahan overall compensation was $18.6 million—which includes a $1.8 million base salary, $9.2 million in bonus and incentive compensation, and an actuarial estimate of $7.4 million for non-cash benefits that he will receive after he retires—up from $13.9 million in 2021. The tour’s revenue was $1.9 billion, and $1.59 billion, in 2022 and 2021, respectively. As for legal fees, it sky-rocketed from $2 million in 2021, to $20.7 million in 2022.

In essence, Monahan is destined to earn more each day he spends as the PGA Tour’s commissioner and brings about revenue. While the 54-year-old’s compensation is being criticized, what should be noted is that PGA Tour’s revenue decreased from $1.9 billion in revenue in 2022 to $1.82 billion in 2023.

Monahan will be leading the PGA Tour event in 2025; will the commissioner successfully boost the revenue as his compensation also rises? Stay tuned to find out.