Ted Scott vs Nicklaus, Palmer And Watson – Who Has Earned More From Golf?

Prize money in golf has increased significantly in recent years, partially driven by the introduction of signature events on the PGA Tour and the introduction of LIV Golf to the men's professional game.

The essence of how you earn that prize money, at least on the PGA Tour, has remained the same, however. The formula is simple, win big tournaments and receive huge payouts - which is something Scottie Scheffler has done in abundance.

A crucial part of that success is Scheffler's caddie Ted Scott, who hasn't done too badly for himself either. When I first saw the reported figures that the popular looper is reported to have banked in his years with Scheffler, I was blown away by the sheer magnitude of it all.

But, when comparing how much Scottie Scheffler's caddie has won against the career earnings of legends in the sport, how do the numbers stack up?

Career Earnings: Ted Scott vs Nicklaus, Palmer And Watson

Let's set out the parameters for this comparison early in proceedings. We are only looking at career prize money earnings here, not the additional bonuses, sponsorship deals and other financial rewards that come with being an elite sportsperson.

While many of these numbers are merely reported estimates, it does provide a view of the direction that men's professional golf is moving in.

Ted Scott

Let's kick things off by taking a closer look at the reported earnings of Ted Scott.

Scott joined Scheffler during the 2022 PGA Tour season, marking the start of a magnificent partnership that saw Scheffler become a multiple Major winner and World No.1.

Scheffler has also topped the money list on the PGA Tour in each of the past four seasons, accumulating a total of around $91,000,000.

If you were to assume that Scott's caddie bonus is somewhere in the region of 5-10% of those winnings, which is typical for the role, that adds up to a lot of cash.

With a lower estimate of $4.5 million and a higher estimate of around $9 million, the last four years have been fruitful for both parties.

Clearly, these are just estimates based on widely reported figures, but it gives a good indication without even scratching the surface of his previous roles with Bubba Watson and others.

But, with this information in mind, how does that compare to the career prize money earnings of the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson? Let's find out...

Jack Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus, arguably the greatest golfer ever to play the game, had an incredible career that spanned five different decades.

The 'Golden Bear' turned pro in 1961 and retired from professional play in 2005. In that time, Nicklaus accumulated a record 18 Major Championships, 8 Senior Majors and an astonishing 73 PGA Tour wins.

However, despite his unprecedented success, Nicklaus is reported to have earned just $9 million in prize money during his career.

That figure is similar to the higher estimate earnings of Ted Scott during his time with Scottie Scheffler alone.

It goes without saying that the modern era in golf is very different in terms of financial rewards, especially when compared to the time when Nicklaus was in his prime, but that comparison speaks volumes about the direction that men's professional golf is heading (and the journey it has been on for some time).

Arnold Palmer

The estimated career earnings for Arnold Palmer, another legend of the game, are reported by Forbes to be around $3.6 million.

That is a mere fraction of the amount Scottie Scheffler is reported to have paid his caddie since their partnership began.

In fact, Scott is reported to have earned more than that sum in the 2024 season alone, despite Palmer winning 7 Major Championships and collecting 62 PGA Tour titles in his career.

Tom Watson

The only player on this list who may still have a head start on Scott in this particular comparison is 8-time Major Champion Tom Watson - who battled it out with Nicklaus on multiple occasions in his career, including on the way to his first Masters win in 1977.

Watson ranks 10th on the all-time list for PGA Tour victories, with an impressive 39 in his career, but has also had a very successful time on the PGA Champions Tour.

That helped Watson to accumulate reported prize money earnings in the region of $26 Million, so Scheffler and Scott will need a quite a few more wins in order to match that figure.

That's not outside the realm of possibility, however, considering the immense quality that Scheffler possesses and the pace at which he continues to win.

With one of the best caddies in the business on the bag, the World No.1 is showing no signs of faltering - so expect a few more legendary names to be eclipsed as the bank balance of both Scheffler and Scott continues to rise.

What About Inflation?

The figures quoted have predominantly been taken (and calculated) from PGA Tour money list/career earnings and PGA Tour Champions career earnings lists - but how would inflation have affected the amounts earned by the players?

Jack Nicklaus' most successful season, in terms of prize money earned, saw him collect around $320,000 - topping the money list for that season.

That amount in today's money would translate to around $2.4 million - a figure that 63 players eclipsed on the PGA Tour in 2025.

In 1980, Tom Watson led the PGA Tour money list and became the first golfer to exceed $500,000 in earnings in a single season.

If we applied the same inflation calculation to that amount, the 2025 equivalent would be around $2 million.

It's difficult to estimate how their career earnings would stack up in today's financial climate, as the money was earned over a long period of time, but they would still do well to match the earning power of the modern elite male professional.

Have Your Say...

Those figures, while impressive for the time, struggle to stack up to the increased financial rewards of the modern era. As prize money continues to climb, what's your opinion on the current landscape?

Let us know your thoughts on the comparison above, the prize money on offer in the professional game right now and the financial future of the sport, by dropping us a comment in the box below.

I'd love to hear your thoughts - so let's start the conversation.