Korn Ferry Tour Pro Breaks Down Earnings After First Win

Main image of James Nicholas kissing the Astara Golf Championship trophy after winning his first Korn Ferry Tour title with inset screenshot of Nicholas breaking down the costs and earnings from the week (left) — (Image credit: Getty Images)

James Nicholas is no stranger to sharing a breakdown of his costs and earnings after a good week, having done so in the aftermath of the US Open and following his best-ever Korn Ferry Tour finish (T3rd) last October.

But the latest breakdown will surely be one that the American enjoyed the most because it was all to do with his first victory on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Nicholas held the 54-hole lead at the Astara Golf Championship in Bogota, Colombia last weekend and put together a colorful final round to complete the job in dramatic style.

The New York native made six birdies and three bogeys through 17 holes at Bogota Country Club before clinching the title with a 13-foot eagle putt at the last.

ELECTRICITY ON 18 ⚡️First-time-winner James Nicholas drains a 13-ft eagle putt to hoist the trophy @CountryBogota. pic.twitter.com/wU9bjQ6hmbFebruary 8, 2026

His five-under 66 was Nicholas' second of the weekend and helped him end the tournament on 19-under - two strokes in front of the USA's Norman Xiong.

Remarkably, he had played 29 holes on the Sunday due to the third round being suspended as a result of inclement weather, so Nicholas' victory was richly deserved.

Topping the leaderboard also sealed a $180,000 winner's check for Nicholas, and that made up the vast majority of his earnings for the week, but it wasn't all.

As he has done before the former Yale University golfer revealed a complete breakdown of his earnings and costs for the week in an entertaining Instagram post.

In said video, Nicholas explained that he also picked up an extra $30,000 or so in bonus money from his sponsors, taking his total income for the week to roughly $210,000.

James Nicholas poses with the winner's check after claiming the Astara Golf Championship title in 2026

However, as is the case for every pro golfer, the winner's check differs greatly from the amount of money players actually take home in the end.

While Nicholas did not discuss factors like taxes, he did share almost everything else that he paid for throughout his week in Bogota.

Starting with flights, Nicholas and his wife spent $2,100 on return tickets before adding on another $72 for taxis and $253 for their accommodation during their time in Colombia.

James Nicholas and his caddie Brian after their win at the 2026 Astara Golf Championship in Bogota, Colombia — Nicholas and his caddie Brian after their win at the 2026 Astara Golf Championship

In regard to Nicholas' caddie, Brian, he earned $1,750 as a base salary but was rewarded with 10% of the winner's check as a bonus - taking his week's earnings to $19,750.

Despite the cost of living in Colombia being much lower than in the United States, Nicholas said that he spent just over $1,000 on food and groceries. However, he quickly clarified that a large portion of that was spent on a celebratory meal for him and his team in the aftermath of Sunday's victory.

There was a $20 locker-room fee and club-repair fee included, and Nicholas revealed that he also handed a $500 tip to the attendants at the end of the week, noting that "they deserve it" because of all the helpful work they do.

A post shared by James Nicholas (@jamesnicholasgolf)
A photo posted by on

The final standalone cost for Nicholas was $42 for a massage, and that took his total spend to $22,785 after just one week on tour.

Nevertheless, the 28-year-old was able to reflect on a total profit (before tax) of $187,215 thanks to his Astara Golf Championship win, ending the video by stating "I've never made that much before!"

Nicholas has moved up to third in the Korn Ferry Tour standings and could end the year progressing onto the PGA Tour if results continue to follow a similar trend to last week.

On the PGA Tour, there is a $500,000 stipend available to players as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money payouts, so Nicholas' breakdowns could feature even bigger numbers very soon.

Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Joaquin Niemann. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and recently reached his Handicap goal of 18 for the first time.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.