Jack Nicklaus won 73 PGA Tour titles including 18 major championships. Yet he played in an era when golfers competed for purses well under $500,000 with a first-place prize averaging $45,000.
Case in point: Nicklaus won five (5) PGA Championships, and earned a total of $203,000. Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, made $3,340,000 for his two Wannakers.
Rory McIlroy once said that Jack was forced to work (designing golf courses) after his playing career, because he didn’t make enough money in his prime.
That’s a bit of a stretch as Nicklaus’ name was a gold mine, and his name was leveraged in all kinds of branding deals, from equipment and apparel to books and memorabilia, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and income.
But Rory is correct in pointing out the absurdity of today’s money, while bringing to light the debate about how much prize money Nicklaus would have racked up if her were born in say 1980 instead of 1940.
Jack Nicklaus’ 18 Major Wins and Earnings
1962 U.S. Open – $17,500
1963 Masters – $20,000
1963 PGA Championship – $13,000
1965 Masters – $20,000
1966 Masters – $20,000
1966 British Open – $15,000
1967 U.S. Open – $30,000
1970 British Open – $40,000
1971 PGA Championship – $40,000
1972 Masters – $25,000
1972 U.S. Open – $30,000
1973 PGA Championship – $45,000
1975 Masters – $40,000
1975 PGA Championship – $45,000
1978 British Open – $125,000
1980 U.S. Open – $55,000
1980 PGA Championship – $60,000
1986 Masters – $144,000
Total Wins: 18
Total Earnings: $784,500
Average Earnings Per Major Win: $43,583