John Mahaffey Career Earnings & Prize Money

John Mahaffey's prize money by season

John Mahaffey's official prize money in the 20 seasons with published figures, 1975–1998. The chart shows dollars of the day. The table adds each season in 2026 dollars.

Season	Money list	Official prize money	In 2026 dollars
1998	No. 293	$7,779	$15,855
1997	No. 333	$2,850	$5,899
1996	No. 222	$30,016	$63,580
1995	No. 120	$156,608	$341,454
1994	No. 177	$65,380	$146,548
1993	No. 192	$36,913	$84,897
1992	No. 130	$101,512	$240,361
1991	No. 159	$64,403	$157,113
1990	No. 42	$325,115	$826,714
1989	No. 29	$400,467	$1,073,290
1988	No. 41	$266,416	$748,486
1987	No. 57	$193,938	$567,080
1986	No. 11	$378,172	$1,146,307
1985	No. 9	$341,595	$1,055,089
1984	No. 21	$252,548	$807,706
1983	No. 44	$126,915	$423,359
1982	No. 57	$77,047	$265,267
1981	No. 24	$128,795	$470,621
1980	No. 15	$165,827	$668,558
1975	No. 8	$141,471	$873,385

John Mahaffey at the majors and The Players

John Mahaffey's finishes in golf's biggest events, with the prize money wherever it was published.

Year	Tournament	Finish	Prize money	In 2026 dollars
1999	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	MC	$0	—
1998	Shell Houston Open	T59	$4,340	$8,846
1998	MCI Classic	T79	$3,439	$7,009
1998	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	MC	$0	—
1997	Las Vegas Invitational	MC	$0	—
1997	LaCantera Texas Open	MC	$0	—
1997	PGA Championship	WD	Not known	—
1997	Motorola Western Open	MC	$0	—
1997	Buick Classic	MC	$0	—
1997	GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic	MC	$0	—
1997	Shell Houston Open	MC	$0	—
1997	Freeport-McDermott Classic	MC	$0	—
1997	Honda Classic	MC	$0	—
1997	Nissan Open	MC	$0	—
1997	United Airlines Hawaiian Open	MC	$0	—
1997	Buick Invitational	MC	$0	—
1997	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	T73	$2,850	$5,899
1996	Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic	MC	$0	—
1996	LaCantera Texas Open	MC	$0	—
1996	Las Vegas Invitational	MC	$0	—
1996	Bell Canadian Open	MC	$0	—
1996	Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic	MC	$0	—
1996	Motorola Western Open	MC	$0	—
1996	Buick Classic	WD	Not known	—
1996	GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic	T40	$4,999	$10,589
1996	Shell Houston Open	MC	$0	—
1996	MCI Classic	MC	$0	—
1996	The Players Championship	MC	$0	—
1996	Bay Hill Invitational	MC	$0	—
1996	Honda Classic	T17	$18,850	$39,928
1996	Nissan Open	T68	$2,424	$5,135
1996	United Airlines Hawaiian Open	MC	$0	—
1996	Buick Invitational	MC	$0	—
1996	Phoenix Open	MC	$0	—
1996	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	MC	$0	—
1995	LaCantera Texas Open	T3	$57,200	$124,714
1995	Las Vegas Invitational	MC	$0	—
1995	Bell Canadian Open	MC	$0	—
1995	PGA Championship	MC	$0	—
1995	Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic	T44	$2,176	$4,743
1995	Motorola Western Open	MC	$0	—
1995	U.S. Open	MC	$0	—
1995	Memorial Tournament	T53	$3,899	$8,500
1995	Colonial National Invitation	T46	$3,808	$8,303
1995	GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic	T26	$9,425	$20,549
1995	Shell Houston Open	T27	$9,940	$21,672
1995	Freeport-McMoRan Classic	T32	$6,497	$14,166
1995	The Players Championship	T55	$6,750	$14,717
1995	Nestle Invitational	T72	$2,340	$5,102
1995	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	T40	$4,205	$9,169
1995	Buick Invitational of California	T63	$2,508	$5,468
1995	United Airlines Hawaiian Open	MC	$0	—
1994	Las Vegas Invitational	MC	$0	—
1994	Bell Canadian Open	T59	$2,782	$6,236
1994	PGA Championship	MC	$0	—
1994	Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic	MC	$0	—
1994	U.S. Open	MC	$0	—
1994	Buick Classic	T27	$7,495	$16,799
1994	Memorial Tournament	T60	$3,255	$7,296
1994	GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic	MC	$0	—
1994	Shell Houston Open	MC	$0	—
1994	KMart Greater Greensboro Open	MC	$0	—
1994	MCI Heritage Golf Classic	MC	$0	—
1994	Freeport-McMoRan Classic	MC	$0	—
1994	The Players Championship	T27	$16,641	$37,300
1994	Nestle Invitational	MC	$0	—
1994	Honda Classic	T75	$2,057	$4,611
1994	Buick Invitational of California	MC	$0	—
1994	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	MC	$0	—
1994	Nissan Los Angeles Open	MC	$0	—
1994	United Airlines Hawaiian Open	75	$2,280	$5,111
1993	Las Vegas Invitational	T43	$4,760	$10,948
1993	H.E.B. Texas Open	MC	$0	—
1993	PGA Championship	MC	$0	—
1993	Sprint Western Open	MC	$0	—
1993	Canon Greater Hartford Open	WD	Not known	—
1993	U.S. Open	MC	$0	—
1993	Buick Classic	MC	$0	—
1993	Memorial Tournament	T50	$3,328	$7,654
1993	Southwestern Bell Colonial	MC	$0	—
1993	GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic	T71	$2,388	$5,492
1993	Shell Houston Open	MC	$0	—
1993	KMart Greater Greensboro Open	T27	$10,425	$23,977
1993	MCI Heritage Golf Classic	77	$2,092	$4,811
1993	The Players Championship	MC	$0	—
1993	Nestle Invitational	WD	Not known	—
1993	Nissan Los Angeles Open	T58	$2,170	$4,991
1993	Buick Invitational of California	T47	$2,690	$6,187
1993	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	MC	$0	—
1993	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	T64	$2,625	$6,037
1993	United Airlines Hawaiian Open	T51	$2,765	$6,359
1992	H.E.B. Texas Open	MC	$0	—
1992	Las Vegas Invitational	MC	$0	—
1992	Hardee's Golf Classic	MC	$0	—
1992	PGA Championship	MC	$0	—
1992	Canon Greater Hartford Open	MC	$0	—
1992	Centel Western Open	MC	$0	—
1992	GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic	MC	$0	—
1992	Shell Houston Open	MC	$0	—
1992	KMart Greater Greensboro Open	T48	$3,107	$7,357
1992	MCI Heritage Golf Classic	MC	$0	—
1992	Freeport-McMoRan Golf Classic	MC	$0	—
1992	The Players Championship	T9	$46,800	$110,813
1992	Nestle Invitational	T36	$4,507	$10,672
1992	Honda Classic	MC	$0	—
1992	Nissan Los Angeles Open	MC	$0	—
1992	United Airlines Hawaiian Open	T23	$10,680	$25,288
1992	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	T48	$2,838	$6,720
1992	Phoenix Open	MC	$0	—
1992	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	MC	$0	—
1991	Las Vegas Invitational	MC	$0	—
1991	H.E.B. Texas Open	T50	$2,171	$5,296
1991	PGA Championship	MC	$0	—
1991	Centel Western Open	T79	$1,810	$4,416
1991	Buick Classic	MC	$0	—
1991	Southwestern Bell Colonial	T69	$2,412	$5,884
1991	GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic	T23	$9,271	$22,618
1991	MCI Heritage Golf Classic	T66	$2,050	$5,001
1991	The Players Championship	MC	$0	—
1991	Nestle Invitational	MC	$0	—
1991	Nissan Los Angeles Open	MC	$0	—
1991	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	T50	$2,678	$6,534
1991	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	T40	$4,070	$9,929
1991	Phoenix Open	T40	$4,100	$10,002
1991	United Hawaiian Open	MC	$0	—
1990	Las Vegas Invitational	T46	$3,477	$8,840
1990	H.E.B. Texas Open	T56	$1,784	$4,536
1990	PGA Championship	T40	$4,750	$12,078
1990	Buick Classic	MC	$0	—
1990	U.S. Open	MC	$0	—
1990	Centel Western Open	T20	$11,240	$28,581
1990	Southwestern Bell Colonial	T2	$74,667	$189,865
1990	Memorial Tournament	T53	$2,293	$5,832
1990	GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic	T40	$3,333	$8,475
1990	USF&G Classic	MC	$0	—
1990	MCI Heritage Golf Classic	T46	$2,772	$7,049
1990	Masters Tournament	T42	$4,867	$12,376
1990	Independent Insurance Agent Open	T11	$22,000	$55,942
1990	The Players Championship	MC	$0	—
1990	Honda Classic	T31	$5,671	$14,421
1990	Nissan Los Angeles Open	10	$30,000	$76,285
1990	Hawaiian Open	T26	$7,100	$18,054
1990	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	MC	$0	—
1990	Phoenix Open	MC	$0	—
1990	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	T29	$6,358	$16,168
1990	MONY Tournament of Champions	T14	$16,500	$41,957
1989	Nabisco Championship	27	$41,500	$111,224
1989	Texas Open	MC	$0	—
1989	PGA Championship	MC	$0	—
1989	Canon Greater Hartford Open	T17	$12,222	$32,757
1989	Beatrice Western Open	T27	$6,380	$17,099
1989	U.S. Open	T46	$5,486	$14,702
1989	Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic	T58	$2,220	$5,950
1989	Southwestern Bell Colonial	T52	$2,345	$6,285
1989	Memorial Tournament	T16	$15,056	$40,352
1989	GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic	T40	$3,504	$9,392
1989	Las Vegas Invitational	T13	$25,000	$67,002
1989	MCI Heritage Golf Classic	T40	$2,960	$7,933
1989	Independent Insurance Agent Open	T42	$2,800	$7,504
1989	USF&G Classic	T30	$4,556	$12,212
1989	The Players Championship	T45	$3,953	$10,594
1989	Nestle Invitational	T24	$5,920	$15,866
1989	Honda Classic	WD	Not known	—
1989	Shearson Lehman Hutton Open	T39	$3,010	$8,067
1989	Hawaiian Open	MC	$0	—
1989	Nissan Los Angeles Open	MC	$0	—
1989	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	T27	$6,517	$17,465
1989	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	T32	$5,300	$14,205
1988	Texas Open	T43	$1,723	$4,839
1988	PGA Championship	T15	$16,500	$46,356
1988	Canon Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open	MC	$0	—
1988	Beatrice Western Open	T32	$4,670	$13,120
1988	Memorial Tournament	T19	$12,283	$34,510
1988	Colonial National Invitation	T11	$15,900	$44,670
1988	Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational	T11	$29,444	$82,723
1988	Independent Insurance Agent Open	MC	$0	—
1988	USF&G Classic	T29	$4,988	$14,012
1988	MCI Heritage Golf Classic	T13	$12,000	$33,714
1988	KMart Greater Greensboro Open	T63	$2,120	$5,956
1988	The Players Championship	T27	$9,250	$25,988
1988	Honda Classic	T12	$14,700	$41,299
1988	Los Angeles Open	T23	$6,321	$17,760
1988	Hawaiian Open	T13	$11,250	$31,606
1988	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	MC	$0	—
1988	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	T18	$12,171	$34,195
1987	PGA Championship	T65	$1,650	$4,825
1987	Hardee's Golf Classic	T30	$3,175	$9,284
1987	Canon Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open	MC	$0	—
1987	U.S. Open	T24	$7,720	$22,573
1987	Memorial Tournament	T9	$19,480	$56,960
1987	Colonial National Invitation	T30	$3,566	$10,426
1987	Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational	T29	$7,609	$22,250
1987	Big "I" Houston Open	MC	$0	—
1987	MCI Heritage Golf Classic	WD	Not known	—
1987	Masters Tournament	T35	$4,257	$12,448
1987	Tournament Players Championship	T32	$5,414	$15,832
1987	USF&G Classic	T7	$14,042	$41,058
1987	Honda Classic	T8	$17,400	$50,878
1987	Hawaiian Open	T13	$10,920	$31,930
1987	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	T29	$3,990	$11,667
1987	Phoenix Open	T25	$4,483	$13,108
1987	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	T26	$6,795	$19,869
1987	MONY Tournament of Champions	11	$14,000	$40,936
1986	Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic	MC	$0	—
1986	PGA Championship	MC	$0	—
1986	Buick Open	T31	$5,209	$15,790
1986	Canon Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open	T12	$13,300	$40,315
1986	U.S. Open	MC	$0	—
1986	Kemper Open	T30	$5,700	$17,278
1986	Memorial Tournament	T5	$21,110	$63,988
1986	Colonial National Invitation	MC	$0	—
1986	Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational	T10	$25,492	$77,270
1986	Houston Open	T42	$1,700	$5,153
1986	Masters Tournament	T42	$3,200	$9,700
1986	Tournament Players Championship	1	$162,000	$491,051
1986	USF&G Classic	MC	$0	—
1986	Honda Classic	T2	$33,000	$100,029
1986	Hawaiian Open	T16	$7,014	$21,262
1986	AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am	T17	$7,080	$21,461
1986	Phoenix Open	T7	$14,042	$42,563
1986	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic	T11	$13,800	$41,830
1986	MONY Tournament of Champions	T21	$7,800	$23,643
1985	Texas Open	1	$63,000	$194,589
1985	PGA Championship	T23	$5,260	$16,247
1985	Canon Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open	T19	$6,771	$20,915
1985	Lite Quad Cities Open	T37	$1,380	$4,262
1985	U.S. Open	T39	$4,433	$13,693
1985	Memorial Tournament	T24	$4,786	$14,782
1985	Colonial National Invitation	T7	$15,062	$46,524
1985	Houston Open	T10	$13,000	$40,153
1985	Sea Pines Heritage	T13	$7,500	$23,165
1985	Masters Tournament	T14	$12,950	$39,999
1985	Greater Greensboro Open	T32	$2,264	$6,993
1985	Tournament Players Championship	MC	$0	—
1985	Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational	MC	$0	—
1985	USF&G Classic	T2	$35,200	$108,723
1985	Honda Classic	T51	$1,192	$3,683
1985	Hawaiian Open	T67	$1,015	$3,135
1985	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	T25	$3,900	$12,046
1985	Phoenix Open	T4	$16,312	$50,385
1985	Bob Hope Classic	T8	$14,500	$44,786
1984	Texas Open	T21	$3,197	$10,224
1984	Panasonic Las Vegas Invitational	T47	$2,221	$7,102
1984	PGA Championship	T20	$6,030	$19,285
1984	Buick Open	T47	$2,221	$7,102
1984	U.S. Open	T30	$5,031	$16,091
1984	Memorial Tournament	MC	$0	—
1984	Colonial National Invitation	MC	$0	—
1984	MONY Tournament of Champions	T9	$11,500	$36,780
1984	Houston Coca-Cola Open	T6	$15,650	$50,052
1984	Sea Pines Heritage	T12	$8,400	$26,865
1984	Masters Tournament	MC	$0	—
1984	Tournament Players Championship	T10	$20,800	$66,523
1984	USF&G Classic	T3	$20,800	$66,523
1984	Honda Classic	T65	$1,020	$3,262
1984	Los Angeles Open	WD	Not known	—
1984	Hawaiian Open	MC	$0	—
1984	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	WD	Not known	—
1984	Phoenix Open	T59	$864	$2,763
1984	Bob Hope Classic	1	$72,000	$230,272
1983	Texas Open	T68	$609	$2,031
1983	Panasonic Las Vegas Pro Celebrity Classic	T58	$1,650	$5,504
1983	Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open	T39	$1,260	$4,203
1983	PGA Championship	MC	$0	—
1983	U.S. Open	T34	$3,687	$12,298
1983	Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic	T25	$3,435	$11,458
1983	Memorial Tournament	MC	$0	—
1983	Colonial National Invitation	T12	$7,600	$25,352
1983	Houston Coca-Cola Open	T13	$7,733	$25,797
1983	Sea Pines Heritage	T68	$710	$2,370
1983	Masters Tournament	T40	$2,200	$7,339
1983	Greater Greensboro Open	MC	$0	—
1983	Tournament Players Championship	T3	$36,400	$121,422
1983	USF&G Classic	MC	$0	—
1983	Hawaiian Open	MC	$0	—
1983	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	MC	$0	—
1983	Phoenix Open	T32	$2,026	$6,757
1983	Bob Hope Desert Classic	T39	$1,462	$4,879
1983	Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open	MC	$0	—
1982	Texas Open	T14	$4,375	$15,063
1982	PGA Championship	T42	$1,643	$5,656
1982	U.S. Open	T22	$3,404	$11,719
1982	Memorial Tournament	MC	$0	—
1982	Colonial National Invitation	T20	$3,531	$12,156
1982	Michelob-Houston Open	T62	$746	$2,567
1982	MONY Tournament of Champions	T20	$4,775	$16,440
1982	Masters Tournament	MC	$0	—
1982	Sea Pines Heritage	T15	$4,950	$17,042
1982	Tournament Players Championship	T35	$2,412	$8,306
1982	Hawaiian Open	T11	$6,910	$23,791
1982	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	T34	$1,515	$5,216
1982	Phoenix Open	T53	$694	$2,391
1982	Bob Hope Desert Classic	T41	$1,060	$3,650
1982	Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open	MC	$0	—
1981	Texas Open	T35	$1,155	$4,219
1981	PGA Championship	MC	$0	—
1981	Quad Cities Open	MC	$0	—
1981	U.S. Open	MC	$0	—
1981	Atlanta Classic	T8	$9,667	$35,323
1981	Memorial Tournament	T12	$7,700	$28,136
1981	Colonial National Invitation	T46	$850	$3,108
1981	Michelob-Houston Open	T28	$1,746	$6,379
1981	USF&G New Orleans Open	MC	$0	—
1981	MONY Tournament of Champions	T20	$4,800	$17,539
1981	Masters Tournament	T8	$9,667	$35,323
1981	Sea Pines Heritage	T11	$6,900	$25,213
1981	Tournament Players Championship	T19	$4,680	$17,101
1981	Hawaiian Open	T6	$10,175	$37,180
1981	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	MC	$0	—
1981	Bob Hope Desert Classic	WD	Not known	—
1980	San Antonio Texas Open	T30	$1,364	$5,498
1980	Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic	T12	$8,100	$32,656
1980	PGA Championship	T15	$4,375	$17,639
1980	IVB-Golf Classic	T3	$14,400	$58,056
1980	Canadian Open	T21	$3,640	$14,675
1980	U.S. Open	T27	$2,125	$8,567
1980	Memorial Tournament	T8	$7,800	$31,447
1980	Colonial National Invitation	T37	$1,290	$5,201
1980	Byron Nelson Golf Classic	T64	$528	$2,127
1980	Michelob-Houston Open	T24	$2,905	$11,712
1980	Greater New Orleans Open	T32	$1,870	$7,539
1980	Masters Tournament	T44	$1,500	$6,047
1980	Tournament Players Championship	T5	$14,600	$58,862
1980	Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open	T51	$591	$2,381
1980	Hawaiian Open	T16	$4,712	$18,999
1980	Bing Crosby National Pro-Am	T3	$14,400	$58,056
1980	Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational	MC	$0	—
1980	Bob Hope Desert Classic	T40	$957	$3,857
1978	PGA Championship	1	$50,000	$254,657
1978	Tournament Players Championship	T12	$5,460	$27,809
1976	U.S. Open	T4	$11,250	$65,680
1976	Masters Tournament	T39	$1,750	$10,217
1975	The Open Championship	T10	$4,721 £2,125	$29,146
1975	U.S. Open	2	$20,000	$123,472
1975	Masters Tournament	CUT	$0	—
1974	PGA Championship	T9	$5,850	$39,418
1974	Masters Tournament	CUT	$0	—

John Mahaffey's PGA Tour wins

10 wins on record, 1973–1989, with each tournament's total purse. Our season schedules start in 1958.

Season	Tournament	Purse
1989	Federal Express St. Jude Classic	$1,000,000
1986	Tournament Players Championship	$900,000
1985	Texas Open	$350,000
1984	Bob Hope Classic	$400,000
1981	Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic	$300,000
1980	Kemper Open	$400,000
1979	Bob Hope Desert Classic	$300,000
1978	American Optical Classic	$225,000
1978	PGA Championship	$300,000
1973	Sahara Invitational	$135,000

John Mahaffey's wins, then and now

What each of Mahaffey's major and Players wins paid, its value in 2026 dollars, and what the same title pays now.

John Mahaffey's 4 wins in the majors and The Players paid $347K in total. In 2026 dollars, that is about $1.2M.

His first, the 1978 PGA Championship, paid $50,000. His biggest check was $162,000, at the 1986 Tournament Players Championship.

Winning the same events today would pay $11.6M. That is 10 times as much, even after inflation.

Year	Tournament	Paid	In 2026 dollars	Winner's share now
1978	PGA Championship	$50,000	$254,657	$3,690,000 (2026)
1984	Bob Hope Classic	$72,000	$230,272	$1,656,000 (2026)
1985	Texas Open	$63,000	$194,589	$1,764,000 (2026)
1986	Tournament Players Championship	$162,000	$491,051	$4,500,000 (2026)

John Mahaffey earnings FAQ

How much did John Mahaffey earn in his career?

John Mahaffey earned $3,263,767 in official PGA Tour prize money in the 20 seasons with published figures. His full career total is not known.

What would John Mahaffey's earnings be worth today?

About $9,981,569 in 2026 dollars, adjusting each season's $3,263,767 total for inflation with the consumer price index.

How many majors did John Mahaffey win?

1: 1978 PGA Championship.

What was John Mahaffey's best money-list finish?

No. 8.