Scottie Scheffler may have walked away from East Lake with one of the biggest victories of his career, but he immediately loses $4.2 million of his $10 million Tour Championship prize money.
Scheffler produced a brilliant final-round performance to win the 2026 Tour Championship and secure the FedEx Cup title, collecting the tournament’s massive $10 million winner’s cheque in the process.
However, the World No. 1 will not necessarily get to keep all of it.
Based on federal and state tax rates, Scheffler could face an estimated tax bill of around $4.2 million from the prize money, although his final tax liability will depend on a number of factors, including deductions, expenses and his personal tax arrangements.
That could leave the American golfer with approximately $5.8 million from the $10 million payout after estimated taxes.
The eye-watering tax figure highlights just how much can disappear from the headline-grabbing prize money earned by professional athletes.
Scheffler’s victory at East Lake came after he produced another remarkable display under pressure, battling past Viktor Hovland and the rest of the elite 30-man field to claim the PGA Tour’s season-ending title.
The win added another major achievement to Scheffler’s growing list of accomplishments and further strengthened his position as the dominant player in men’s golf.
But while the $10 million winner’s cheque makes for an extraordinary headline, the reality is that a substantial portion of that money may never reach Scheffler’s bank account.
With an estimated $4.2 million potentially heading towards taxes, Scheffler could effectively lose more than 40% of his Tour Championship winnings before accounting for other financial considerations.
Still, even after the estimated tax hit, the victory remains an enormously lucrative reward for Scheffler.
And with the FedEx Cup trophy, another PGA Tour title and millions of dollars in prize money secured, it is safe to say that the World No. 1 will not be losing too much sleep over the tax bill.
Scottie Scheffler won $10 million at the Tour Championship — but an estimated $4.2 million could be lost to taxes.
