Moneyball – Koepka and Matsuyama cash in as Power gets $500k consolation prize

Despite $20 million being up for grabs at the PGA Tour’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, the real high-stakes action was down the leaderboard as the scramble for a top-50 placing and automatic entry into 2025’s Signature Events provided a more-than adequate subplot.

Seamus Power was one of those who needed a big week to propel himself into that top-50, and though he’d finish the week tied for 10th in the tournament – his best placing of the year – and jump 10 places in the rankings, it would prove too little, too late for the Waterford man.

Still, in addition to the near $2 million he’s earned on course in 2024, the $520,000 from his week at TPC Southwind takes his annual earnings to $2,509,099. A decent consolation, though he’ll have to add a few FedEx Cup Fall series events to his schedule and hope to be among the ‘Next 10’ when 2025 rolls around.

Hideki Matsuyama was the big winner from a financial point of view as the Japanese held off some back-nine jitters to finish birdie-birdie and take home the top prize of $3.6 million.

Shane Lowry’s up-and-down week resulted in a T50 placing and $47,250 which takes his season’s earnings north of $5.75 million on the PGA Tour, while Rory McIlroy gets $40,600 for finishing second-to-last and closes in on $12 million for the year across both tours.

Brooks Koepka took down Jon Rahm in a playoff at LIV Greenbrier and pocketed $4,000,000 to Rahm’s $2.25 million. Rahm also overtakes Joaquin Niemann at the top of the individual standings and is in pole position to claim the $18 million bonus with just the Individual Championship in Chicago left to play. John Catlin, deputising for the suspended Graeme McDowell, earned $137,800 for finishing T37, but also takes a share of the $3,000,000 team bonus for helping Koepka’s Smash GC to team glory.

Darren Clarke had a welcome return to form at the PGA Champions Tour’s Rogers Charity Classic and his T3 finish was worth $158,400, while Pádraig Harrington in a tie for seventh took home $76,800.

Leona Maguire was the sole Irish participant on the weekend at the Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links, but a tough week in tough conditions saw her finish T61 and earn just shy of $6,000.