The Golfers Who Earned $10 Million On The PGA Tour Without Even Winning

It’s hard to judge a golfer’s success by simply looking at the PGA Tour’s career money list. Thanks to how skewed things have become financially in more recent years, you see some people ranking highly, despite not being the best of the best. Conversely, you also get a bunch of people who really made a name for themselves yet appear pretty low because of when they were successful.

Still, while this list might not be the be-all and end-all of a golfer’s success, it does reveal some interesting insights. For instance, the number of people that have banked over $10 million despite never actually winning a PGA Tour event. Even with payouts being more generous nowadays, you don’t make that much money unless you have legitimate skills. So, it’s worth highlighting some of these money-makers that have never actually scored a win.

Briny Baird was forced to retire after earning over $13.25 million

Far too many sporting careers have come to an end because of injury. For Briny Baird, it happened in 2014, ensuring that the man would never manage a PGA Tour win. It was an unfortunate conclusion that came at the worst time, given Baird appeared to still be at the top of his game. After all, he achieved one of his six second-place finishes in that same season. Of course, when it comes to the most dramatic of these close calls, it’s the one at the 2011 Frys.com Open that stands out from the rest. He and Bryce Molder went six extra holes in their playoff before the latter clinched the win with a birdie putt. Baird wasn’t too disheartened, though, and actually appreciated having made so much money without a PGA Tour win. He ultimately finished with around $13.25 million in earnings.

Tommy Fleetwood’s close calls have reportedly earned him almost $16.7 million

Tommy Fleetwood is the perfect example of how you make a boatload of money on the PGA Tour without ever actually winning anything. Since joining in 2017, he’s had more than two dozen top-ten finishes, resulting in an astounding 22.5% rate. Several of these have been runner-up finishes, with two even being in major championships. Perhaps the most frustrating loss Fleetwood’s experienced so far on the PGA Tour came during the 2020 Honda Classic. Although he had a one-shot lead before the final round, he ended up with a one-over 71, resulting in a third-place finish. Despite being a five-time winner of the DP World Tour, he’s yet to claim the top spot here. However, having reportedly earned almost $16.7 million on the PGA Tour, we reckon his situation could be a whole lot worse.

Brian Davis made over $13.3 million, despite a disappointing penalty

If it weren’t for some reeds, Brian Davis might have avoided a place on this list. This happened during the 2010 Verizon Heritage when he and Jim Furyk were in a playoff at Harbour Town’s 18th hole. Several shots in, Davis ended up hitting one of the reeds, something that was actually considered a rule violation back then. He called for a ruling and agreed it was a two-shot penalty, which ultimately resulted in his losing. It was a classy move, but one that destroyed the closest chance he ever had to a PGA Tour win. Still, we can’t say that the golfer didn’t manage to do well for himself, despite this loss. With reported earnings of over $13.3 million, there aren’t many who have earned more than him without a win. Plus, he managed that without ever making over $2 million in any one season.

Cameron Tringale has made over $17 million despite no PGA Tour wins

Of all the golfers that have made over $10 million without a PGA Tour win, Cameron Tringale has apparently made the most money. His figure sits at over $17 million, an impressive amount considering that he’s never taken home the big prize. He actually had his career-best earnings campaign during his last season on PGA Tour, with Tringale pulling in $3.05 million. It was the third time he’d made over $2 million in a season, another impressive achievement considering his lack of wins. Across 12 years, he averaged 25.9 starts a season and had several close calls at the top. In 2016, Smylie Kaufman pipped him by just one stroke during the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, and in the 2020-21 season, he achieved several top-three finishes. As frustrating as those losses may have been, at least he still made a ton of money overall.

Pretty much everyone who gets involved in sports wants to win. However, as these golfers prove, sometimes losing is the new winning. They’ve all earned more than several of the biggest names in golf, even though they’ve never claimed victory on the PGA Tour. Saying that, if given a chance, they’d probably all love to say they won at least once.