“He can thank Phil Mickelson” - Fans react as Adam Hadwin earns $266,000 more for 3rd place finish at 2024 Memorial than his winning check from 2017

Fans on social media reacted to Adam Hadwin earning more for finishing third at the Memorial Tournament this year than he did for winning on the Tour in 2017. Over the last few years, the golf world has witnessed dynamic changes.

Following the inception of LIV Golf, dozens of players from different series joined the new circuit after being offered tremendous amounts of money. Following this, the PGA Tour has not only increased its purses but also introduced elevated-purse signature events with limited fields.

Thus, Hadwin who had an impressive run at the recently concluded Memorial Tournament earned $1.4 million for his solo third-place finish. This is $266,000 more than the amount he received for winning the Valspar Championship in 2017, where he earned $1,134,000 in prize money.

Golf analyst Dan Rapaport shared the interesting difference on his X account.

"Adam Hadwin will make $1.4 million for solo third at the Memorial. That’s $266,000 more than he made for winning the 2017 Valspar. It’s a good time to be playing good golf."

However, fans in the comments section credited six-time Major winner Phil Mickelson for these changes on the PGA Tour that enabled Adam Hadwin to win such a disproportionate amount. Mickelson was one of the early defectors from the PGA Tour, who joined LIV Golf for an enormous sum.

"He can thank Phil," a fan wrote.

Similarly, some fans felt PGA Tour players should thank LIV Golf in general for these changes, as only after the inception of the Saudi circuit did the American Tour increase its purses.

"They should all be thanking LIV for that to be fair. Without the LIV situation they would never have got the increased purses they see now. This is facts. It needed something like LIV to change the status quo. Not that they were on shit money before but LIV got them more," another fan commented.

"Thanks to @PhilMickelson for empowering the players," a second fan credited the LIV Golfer.

Here are more fan reactions:

Fan reactions (Image via X/@Daniel_Rapaport)

Scottie Scheffler won the 2024 Memorial Tournament and earned $4 million in prize money, making his season earnings more than $24 million already. LIV Golf also concluded its Houston event on Sunday, June 9, and the winner of the event, Carlos Ortiz, also earned $4 million in prize money.

Collin Morikawa finished second at the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament and earned $2,200,000 in prize money, while LIV Golfer Adrian Meronk received $2,250,000 for his solo second place at the Houston event. Both tournaments have limited fields. However, the PGA Tour event has a cutline after 36 holes, while the LIV Golf is a no-cut event.

At the Memorial Tournament, Jackson Koivun finished at the bottom of the leaderboard but did not receive any prize money due to his amateur status. Cam Davis and Cameron Young tied for 50th place and took home $51,500 each. On the other hand, Branden Grace finished at the bottom of the LIV Golf Houston event and won $50,000 in prize money.

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How much has Adam Hadwin earned in 2024 so far?

Adam Hadwin has played in 16 PGA Tour events and has garnered a decent amount of around $3.6 million in 2024. He has only missed the cut in four events this season and recorded five top-10 finishes. Although he did not win any tournament this season, his earnings on the PGA Tour have been impressive.

His best finish of the season was at the 2024 Memorial Tournament itself, where he earned $1.4 million. Earlier, he earned $298,725 for finishing in T5 at this year's Valspar Championship and $76,500 for finishing in T42 at the 2024 RBC Heritage.

Adam Hadwin's total career earnings are $23,849,224, as per the PGA Tour's official website.