Sam Burns has earned about $40.7 million in official PGA Tour prize money — a total built on five victories, 46 top-10 finishes and remarkable consistency across roughly 197 career starts since turning pro in 2017. And the number is about to jump: Burns leads The Open Championship by two shots entering Sunday at Royal Birkdale, where the winner’s share would be the largest single check of his career, major title included.
His two monster seasons came back to back: about $7.1 million in 2021-22 (three wins) and another $7.1 million in 2022-23, headlined by the $3.5 million WGC-Dell Match Play title. The striking part of Burns’ ledger is what came after — no wins since 2023, yet $5-7 million banked every season anyway, including roughly $2.43 million for last month’s one-shot U.S. Open runner-up at Shinnecock. The near-misses have paid; Sunday is about the trophy that hasn’t.
The Open Championship
Sam Burns’ Career Earnings
The $40 million résumé chasing its first major Sunday
$40.7MCareer Earnings
5Tour Wins
46Top-10s
$2.43MShinnecock 2nd
The Earnings Breakdown
Figures are approximate official PGA Tour money, through July 2026.
| Category |
Amount |
Detail |
| Career PGA Tour earnings |
About $40.7 million |
Across roughly 197 starts since 2017 |
| Best season |
2022-23 — about $7.1M |
Powered by the $3.5M WGC-Dell Match Play win |
| Second best |
2021-22 — about $7.1M |
Three wins: Sanderson Farms, Valspar, Charles Schwab |
| Biggest 2026 check |
About $2.43M |
Runner-up at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock, by one shot |
| Career victories |
5 |
Plus 46 career top-10 finishes |
| Bonus money |
$2M |
2023 Player Impact Program payout, on top of prize money |
Earning Without Winning
Burns hasn’t lifted a trophy in three years, yet ranks among the tour’s steadiest earners — proof of how top-10 volume compounds in the elevated-purse era. His 46 career top-10s have quietly out-earned many players’ win totals.
The Perkins Cut
Standard caddie economics — roughly 10% of wins, 7% of top-10s — mean longtime caddie Travis Perkins has shared handsomely in the $40 million. A Claret Jug would be their richest single day together.
What Sunday’s Worth
Beyond the winner’s check, a first major transforms the off-course math: appearance fees, sponsor bonuses and a five-year exemption into every major. The gap between first and second Sunday is worth far more than the prize-money difference.
The Bottom Line
About $40.7 million banked, zero majors — a ledger 18 holes from its defining entry. The man carrying the bag through all of it is profiled in who is Sam Burns’ caddie?
