Ben Griffin made nearly $12 million on the golf course in 2025. He also spent around $1.5 million getting there, and that's before taxes.

The three-time PGA Tour winner sat down with Golf Digest on May 20, 2026, to answer fan-submitted questions about tour finances.

The 30-year-old from North Carolina pulled back the curtain on what players actually earn, what they spend, and where the real money comes from for most guys on tour.

"For a majority of PGA Tour golfers, especially with what we play for, they make more money on the golf course," Griffin said. "Sponsor money for certain top players, it's maybe slightly less. For some, more than others, just depending on how good of a year they had."

On-course earnings drive the bottom line. Sponsorship deals vary too widely to generalize.

What doesn't vary is the cost of competing. Griffin's average weekly spend during his 2025 season ran to around $50,000. Travel, hotels, caddie fees, coach visits, trainers, and physios are all paid directly by the player.

Caddies usually earn a weekly salary of a few thousand dollars up to about $5,000, plus a share of winnings. Griffin said they typically receive 7% to 8%, up to 10% for a win.

Griffin played in 30 tournaments in 2025. Spending around $50,000 each week, his total expenses reached about $1.5 million. That was nearly 13% of the money he earned from playing golf that year.

The prize money itself lands on Wednesdays. "Always feels good when the wire hits on Wednesday," he said.

Griffin also had a specific message for fans who think the tax side is straightforward.

Ben Griffin Says the Tax Situation Is More Complicated Than Most Fans Realize

Most fans think PGA Tour players keep all their winnings, but taxes vary by state. Griffin said a strong finish in California brings a much higher tax bill than the same result in Texas.

"We pay taxes based on where we earn," Griffin said. "If I play well in California, I'm going to pay federal tax and also state tax there. Play in Texas, I'm going to pay significantly less tax."

To manage it, Griffin keeps a separate money market account yielding between 4% and 4.5%, set aside specifically for taxes. But the bill doesn't just arrive once a year.

"What a lot of people may not know is I pay quarterly taxes as well, which are based off the previous year's income," Griffin said. "If I have a tax bill of $5 million this year, I'm also going to be paying $1.25 million to start my quarterly tax bill for next year."

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav