The astonishing amount of money PGA Tour players pay out during the season

Ben Griffin has lifted the lid on the enormous costs that come with life on the PGA Tour, revealing he spends around $50,000 per event week just to compete.

The 30-year-old American, who enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2025 with three PGA Tour victories and a debut on the United States Ryder Cup team, has revealed the financial demands of elite professional golf are far greater than many fans realise.

Although Griffin has earned roughly $2.5 million during the 2026 PGA Tour season, a significant portion of that money has already gone straight back into expenses.

Speaking to Golf Digest, Griffin explained how quickly the costs pile up once travel, accommodation and support staff are factored in.

“I would say this question kind of ranges very far across all PGA Tour players,” Griffin said.

“There are definitely going to be some base fees that you’re going to have to pay when you get to a tournament.

“So, obviously travel costs, all hotel costs are on the players or Airbnbs, rental homes, those costs, everyone has a caddie. The caddie needs a base, and also a percentage based on performance. So that can range significantly per tournament, especially depending on how you play.

“Additionally, coaches will come to events, trainers, physios, all of these costs come out of the pocket of the PGA Tour player.

“So my average spend is probably very high, because I just had a really good season, and I pay my caddie, my coach, and my trainer based on my performance, as well as base salaries.

“You could argue my average spend per week this year was probably $50,000.”

Watch Griffin's comments here: 

Based on Griffin’s estimate, his expenses for the season are already approaching $750,000.

For a player now ranked inside the world’s top 20 and pushing for a place on the United States Presidents Cup team, those figures may sound manageable. 

But Griffin’s journey makes the numbers all the more striking.

Only a few years ago, he described himself as being on the “lower end” of spending among PGA Tour players. 

In 2023, Griffin revealed his weekly costs were closer to $6,000 while travelling commercially and operating without a private physio, chef or luxury setup.

As results improve, however, so do the demands.

Caddies typically receive a weekly base salary as well as a percentage of prize money, particularly for high finishes and victories. 

Here's how much caddies really make. 

Griffin’s caddie, Alex Ritthamel, works under a performance-based arrangement, meaning successful weeks naturally bring larger payouts.

Then you have coaches and travelling physios, who can add hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual costs for established players.

The financial side of professional golf is something Griffin understands better than most.

After turning professional in 2018, a difficult start to his career left him around $17,000 in credit card debt.

Then in 2021, he stepped away from the game entirely and took a job as a loan officer.

That decision ultimately became the turning point.

With financial backing from $200 billion investment firm Lord Abbett, Griffin returned to the sport later that year and rapidly rebuilt his career. 

Lord Abbett CEO Doug Sieg personally funded Griffin's return to professional golf in 2021 when he was heavily in debt, a partnership that evolved into a major corporate sponsorship. 

Fast forward to 2025 and Griffin had become a three-time PGA Tour winner, earned Ryder Cup selection and climbed as high as eighth in the world rankings.

Griffin, now 17th in the world, completed another milestone this season when making his Masters debut at Augusta, going on to finish tied 33rd. 

Now firmly established among the game’s elite players, Griffin’s story offers a reminder that the riches associated with the PGA Tour often come with enormous costs behind the scenes.