Record $2.7 million prize awaits winner of this year’s Masters

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Masters winner gets a gold medal, a green jacket, a lifetime invitation back to Augusta National and a sterling silver trophy.

And this year, more money than anyone has ever won at the Masters.

Augusta National announced Saturday that the winner of this year’s tournament gets $2.7 million out of a total purse of $15 million. Both are tournament records.

It’s about a 30% increase over last year, when Hideki Matsuyama got $2.07 million from a purse of $11.5 million.

In terms of total dollars, it’s by far the biggest one-year increase in Masters history. Percentage-wise, the tournament saw a bigger jump from 1982 to 1983, when the purse and winner’s share both increased about 40%. The winner in 1982 got $64,000; the winner in 1983 got $90,000.

The Masters purse and first-place check now match what is offered at the first two stops of the FedEx Cup Playoffs — the St. Jude Championship and the BMW Championship.

If Tiger Woods finishes eighth or better, he’ll eclipse $10 million in career Masters earnings alone. A solo eighth finish would pay $465,000. Woods entered this week with $9,556,069 win in his Masters career, by far the most in tournament history.