So, you’re watching the final round of a major. The camera pans to the star player. Right next to him, there’s a guy in a bucket hat, carrying a monstrous bag. And you think: what does that guy make? Is he rich? Or is he just one bad caddy-race away from eating instant noodles?
Let’s grab a coffee and talk caddy cash. It’s a weird, wild world out there on the PGA Tour. The short answer? It’s either a life-changing fortune or a long, anxious grind. There is no in-between.
The Base Salary: A Myth?
You’d think there’s a base salary, right? Like a weekly paycheck. Wrong. There is no guaranteed salary on the PGA Tour for caddies. It’s all performance-based. You are essentially a freelancer betting on a golfer.
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Most caddies do get a weekly guarantee. This is usually between $1,500 and $3,000. That covers the travel, the food, the laundry, and the sheer emotional toll of watching a putt lip out. But if the player misses the cut, that’s all they get.
Ouch. Miss a few cuts in a row, and your bank account starts looking like a putting green after a drought—bare and sad. You need those weekend rounds to survive.
The Big Money: The Percentage Cut
Here’s where the real talk happens. The standard deal for a caddy is a percentage of the player’s winnings. It’s a beautiful, simple, terrifying arrangement. For a regular tour event, the caddy takes home about 10% of the prize money.
But wait! It gets better. For a major championship or a huge event like The Players? That percentage can jump to 12% or even 15%. Why? Because the stakes are higher, the pressure is hellish, and you’ve probably had to carry the bag through a monsoon.
Let’s do some math. A player wins a regular tournament worth $1.5 million. The caddy just earned $150,000 for four days of work. That’s not a bad weekend, is it? Not bad at all.
Caddie Pay On Pga Tour at Jesse Banks blog
The Stratospheric Numbers
Now, let’s talk about the superstars. Think caddies for Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, or Xander Schauffele. These guys are hitting the jackpot. Scheffler’s caddy, Ted Scott, reportedly earned over $2 million in 2023 alone.
How? Scheffler won multiple times, including the Masters. That 10% cut of a $3.6 million winner’s check? That’s $360,000 from one Sunday afternoon. Do that four times, and you’re buying a house in cash. With a pool.
But here’s the kicker: even the second-place caddy makes bank. A runner-up check of $1.2 million still nets a caddy $120,000. Not bad for “losing,” right? It’s a good gig if you can handle the stress of a golfer who hates wind.
The Expense Side of the Ledger
Don’t start crying for the wealthy caddies yet, but they have expenses. They pay for their own travel. Flights, rental cars, hotels, meals. They are independent contractors. If the player misses a cut, the caddy is out of pocket for that week’s travel.
Plus, there are the “tips.” Well, not tips, but paying a local looper to carry the bag for practice rounds. There are caddy bibs that need dry cleaning. And if you’re famous, you might have an agent. Agents take a cut of your cut. It’s caddy-ception.
So, a caddy who makes $150,000 in a year might spend $30,000 just to do the job. Suddenly, that $150,000 feels more like $120,000. Still good money, but you’re not buying two pools.
PGA Tour caddie reveals exactly how much money he's made—and spent—this
The Famous Cases: The $1 Million Tip
Every caddy dreams of one thing: a massive tip from a grateful player. It happens. Legend has it that some players give their caddy a “bonus” after a big win. Not a percentage—a straight-up gift.
The most famous story? Caddy Mike “Fluff” Cowan? No, that’s old news. Try this: when Tiger Woods won the 2019 Masters, his caddy Joe LaCava earned a reported $400,000 to $500,000. That’s a tip that buys a sports car. Or a very nice used helicopter.
But here’s the funny part: sometimes, the caddy makes more than the player’s share of the winnings. Wait, no. That can’t be right. It can be. If a player misses ten cuts and then wins one big event? The caddy’s single paycheck might be three times the player’s total earnings for the year. Golf is silly.
The Bottom Line: You’re a Gambler
So, how much do caddies make? The median caddy on the PGA Tour probably earns between $50,000 and $80,000 a year. That’s a real job. It’s a grind. You’re working 25-30 weeks a year, but you’re also cleaning sand out of shoes and listening to a man scream about a three-putt.
The top 1%? They earn millions. They are basically partners in a hedge fund (the hedge fund being a golf swing). They get flown private, stay in resorts, and wear the nicest shorts you’ve ever seen.
And the unlucky ones? The guys on the mini-tours or carrying for a rookie? They’re thrilled to break even. They do it for the love of the game, the hope of a big break, and the occasional free lunch from the clubhouse. It is the ultimate high-risk, high-reward job. And honestly? I’m a little jealous. Except for the rain. And the yelling. Okay, I’m good.