World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler put together a spectacular Sunday rally to overcome a three-stroke deficit and win the Tour Championship. He pocketed a staggering $10 million for the victory, along with an additional $23 million in season-long FedExCup bonus money, bringing his total payout to $33 million. However, there was another player who may have felt even luckier for a rather unusual turn of events. A 28-foot birdie helped Ryan Gerard avoid losing $1.7 million from his Tour Championship payout.
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The 27-year-old began his final round with a double bogey on the first hole but recovered with a birdie on the 15th, only to bogey on the 16th. But that 28-foot birdie on the 15th proved far more valuable than it initially appeared. The putt moved Gerard from 11-under to 12-under and ultimately helped him secure a solo third-place finish.
Golfbet pointed out on X that had Gerard remained at 11-under, he would have joined seven other players in a tie for fourth. That would mean the prize money allocated across those finishing positions would have been combined and split among all eight players. Instead, the 28-foot birdie gave Gerard the outright third spot and a $3.705 million payday.
The seven players who finished tied for fourth at 11-under each earned $1,707,142.86. Had Gerard also finished at 11-under, he would have received a roughly $1.9 million payday, a difference of more than $1.7 million on a single putt.
Gerard had another significant moment on the final hole. Playing in the last group and as the final player to finish the tournament, he faced a roughly five-foot putt for par. The putt barely caught the left edge of the hole, but it dropped.
In the end, the 28-footer on No. 15 played a massive role in Gerard’s payday, helping him avoid losing well over $1.7 million. Interestingly, Gerard’s $3 million-plus payday also propelled the 27-year-old 59 places up the PGA Tour’s all-time career earnings list, moving him to No. 191 with $14,910,725 in career earnings.
To put that into perspective, it was the biggest jump on the list following the Tour Championship. The tournament also saw Scottie Scheffler finally dethrone 15-time major champion Tiger Woods and claim the No. 1 spot on the career earnings list.
Regardless, while the solo third-place finish significantly boosted Gerard’s bank account, the 27-year-old remains in search of his first victory since July 2025, when he captured the Barracuda Championship.
That said, he may not be too concerned about continuing his 13-month winless streak. After all, Gerard walked away from the Tour Championship with more than $3 million and, thanks to a crucial birdie and a clutch final-hole putt, avoided leaving another $1.7 million on the table.