A massive $20 million was up for grabs at TPC Southwind for the 2026 St. Jude Championship this week. That’s a 33.33% increase in overall prize money from the 2022 edition, and the winner’s payout rose by $900,000. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, of course, claimed $3.6 million after securing the victory on Sunday. 

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But he will take home only around 53% of his winnings. A significant portion of those deductions comes from federal taxes and his caddie’s fees. Federal income tax is levied at the national level in the United States and is administered by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Tennessee also has no state individual income tax on wages. 

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Scheffler is expected to pay his caddie, Ted Scott, around 10% of his winnings. After that fee and estimated federal taxes, his take-home earnings could fall to around $2.17 million before accounting for other miscellaneous expenses.

What’s more, Golf Channel has reported that Scottie Scheffler is closing in on Tiger Woods’ record for the most career PGA Tour earnings after winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship. He now has $119.96 million in official earnings, just $1.04 million behind Woods’ $121 million mark, with two playoff events still to come.

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Scheffler also overtook Rory McIlroy for No. 2 on the PGA Tour’s all-time official career earnings list after the win. McIlroy is now at $116.49 million, and both still have a chance to catch Tiger Woods.

While all the money is great, Scheffler will undoubtedly be delighted to have finally secured his second PGA Tour victory. 

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The World No. 1 won his first tournament of 2026 all the way back in January at The American Express. Since then, the 30-year-old has come close to victory on several occasions, recording five runner-up finishes and 11 top-five finishes.

However, a win continued to elude him—until this week’s St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee. Scheffler opened the event with a 2-under 68, carding three birdies and one bogey. His second round was even better, as he fired a 9-under 61 to tie the existing course record. It was his best round of the tournament, featuring 11 birdies and two bogeys.

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In the third round, Scheffler shot another 2-under 68 with four birdies and two bogeys. He then sealed the victory with a final-round 4-under 66. The win marked his 21st PGA Tour victory and sends him into the second playoff event next week.

Scheffler will now compete at the BMW Championship in St. Louis, where only the top 30 players will advance to the Tour Championship. The finale boasts a $40 million purse, with $10 million going to the winner. Scheffler will certainly have his eyes on that prize, but for now, he can enjoy another lucrative payday.

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