Scheffler's $31m dwarfs Chacarra's haul as LIV Golf's future clouds Rahm's year

Scottie Scheffler has banked almost $31 million in official PGA Tour earnings this year, nearly ten times the money made by Eugenio Chacarra despite the pair sharing an identical tally of three individual victories apiece since January 1, according to Golf Monthly.

Scheffler has already secured the FedExCup, while Chacarra carries a 669-point lead into the final two events of the DP World Tour season as he chases his first Harry Vardon Trophy.

Chacarra's winnings of just over $3 million represent roughly 90 per cent less than Scheffler's total, a gap Golf Monthly attributed partly to volume - Scheffler has played only 20 events in 2026, whereas Chacarra will reach 30 appearances if he competes in both DP World Tour Play-off events in November.

The real difference lies in scale. Scheffler's per-event average works out at more than $1.5 million ($1,546,876.25), compared with Chacarra's $109,820, figures that exclude a separate $33 million in bonus money Scheffler collected as he surpassed Tiger Woods' all-time PGA Tour career earnings record.

Golf Monthly noted that the disparity helps explain why DP World Tour players continue to target PGA Tour cards each season, given how significantly US tour status can multiply their earning power.

On the LPGA Tour, Nelly Korda sits almost 800 points clear of her closest challenger, Jeeno Thitikul, with roughly a month of the season still to play.

Jon Rahm has already wrapped up the LIV Golf individual title and earned more than $25 million in what looks set to be his final season with the Saudi-backed league, despite making only 12 LIV starts plus four majors and three DP World Tour appearances - 19 outings in total - because of the circuit's well-documented funding problems.

Rahm's exit comes as LIV works through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, having secured a pledge of $300 million from BC Partners Credit, a fraction of the $5 billion the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia had committed before abruptly withdrawing its backing, Yahoo Sports reported.

The league's proposed "LIV 2.0" format would run at least 10 tournaments with player equity stakes and prize money halved from previous seasons, contingent on securing what organisers describe as a "critical mass" of committed players, according to Yahoo Sports.

Rahm and Sergio Garcia have obtained court-approved separations allowing them to leave LIV entirely, while Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter, Tom McKibbin, Adrian Meronk and Graeme McDowell have also confirmed their departures.

The Athletic reported that Dustin Johnson was among more than 10 players seeking severance deals from the PIF worth over $100 million in contract payments, with Johnson's attorney suggesting any settlement could be tied to players committing to LIV 2.0.

Attorney David Cornwell told The Athletic: "The decision to release potential claims against the PIF and join LIV 2.0 will be influenced largely by how the PIF manages the windup of LIV 1.0."

An amended restructuring agreement approved by a New Jersey bankruptcy court has removed the hard deadline previously set for players to decide their futures, Yahoo Sports reported.

With Rahm already free to leave and heading back toward the PGA Tour, and several other LIV players following suit, the sport's earnings landscape heading into 2027 looks set for further upheaval.