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Viktor Hovland has set a new single-season record for PGA Tour earnings at $32.1 million after he won the FedEx Cup on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Norwegian entered Sunday with $26.8 million in career PGA Tour earnings before he took home $18 million for winning the FedEx Cup. Next year’s FedEx Cup Champion prize will be raised to $25 million, so Hovland might not hold the single-season earnings record for very long as the PGA Tour shuffles its prize standards amidst its planned merger with Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf.
Hovland began last week’s Tour Championship with a leg-up in Atlanta at -8, as the FedEx Cup finale format allows the top-five ranked golfers to start the tournament at below par based on their season-long performance leading up to the championship.
Hovland’s $32.1 million season payout would make him the highest-paid annual NHL player, 10th-highest in NFL, 12th in MLB, and 41st in NBA, per the Action Network. A total of $57.9 million was awarded to players at the FedEx Cup final, but the seeding format and pay structure have drawn puzzled reactions from some top golfers on the Tour.
“This is supposed to be like our most important event all year. … For people to be a little bit confused, it’s still not a finished product,” said Xander Schauffle.
Schauffle finished second to win $6.5 million at the FedEx Cup championship for shooting -22, five strokes behind Hovland’s -27 under-par score. Last place for the FedEx Cup final received $500,000 — usually a strong payout for second or third in regular Tour events.
“I wouldn’t say that it is the best format to identify the best golfer for the year,” said Scottie Scheffler.
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