It’s about time Tiger got a six-figure check on the PGA Tour

Tiger Woods is likely to earn his first six-figure check on the PGA Tour in years on Sunday at the Honda Classic.

Tiger Woods’ on-course earnings, which are just a small fraction of his overall career earnings, are totaled at $120,539,505. That number has hovered there for a few years now, with Tiger off the grid injured and rehabbing from four back surgeries. This Sunday, he’s in position to actually cash a nice, six-figure check for the first time in years on the PGA Tour.

Woods started Sunday’s final round with three birdies in his first eight holes, moving up the leaderboard and threatening to get into contention on the back nine. There’s some world-class talent ahead of him, so it was always a long shot. But at least Tiger was there, wearing red, and playing with a late Sunday tee time. Those first eight holes were dazzling and allowed for the possibility of a late Sunday charge in just his third start of this latest comeback.

Reality set in on the 9th hole with a bogey, and while Tiger is still striping it and looking better than he has in years, he’s not going to win barring some monumental collapse by three or four of the best in the game, like Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, and Tommy Fleetwood. Jumping up near the lead is unlikely, but a top 10 result does seem realistic, and maybe even likely, at this point.

That kind of result would yield Tiger a hefty six-figure check. It’s money that is obviously pocket change to Woods at this stage of his career, but it’s still a nice confidence boost. PGA National can be one of the toughest venues on the PGA Tour, with hazards and penalty strokes punishing players on almost every hole. The wind has been up most of the week and Daniel Berger said it felt like you were getting punched in the face on every shot. So Tiger’s finish, regardless of the cash banked, is a major step in the right direction with the Masters bearing down on the schedule.

The Honda Classic’s total purse is $6.6 million, which is about average on the PGA Tour these days. These purses have all ballooned thanks to Tiger, so it’s about time he get back in on the action and cashes a nice payout. The young guys have been making millions these past few years based largely on the growth ignited by the Tiger phenomenon. The winner’s check on Sunday will be $1,188,000 and that is, again, about middle of the pack in terms of winner’s money on the 47-event PGA Tour schedule.

Here’s your purse for the 2018 Honda Classic. We’ll update these numbers when results go final, as obviously some totals will be impacted by ties.