Masters Payout 2021: Latest Projections for Top Prize-Money Earners
Hideki Matsuyama leads the Masters at 11 under after shooting a seven-under 65 at Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday.
He holds a four-shot lead over the rest of the field, but the leaderboard is packed behind him.
Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, Will Zalatoris and Marc Leishman are tied at seven under. Corey Conners has carded a six-under score, and Jordan Spieth is five-under.
Matsuyama is the clear favorite heading into Sunday, but he's not out of the woods yet. Epic comebacks have occurred in years past, with Jack Burke Jr. notably coming from eight shots back to defeat amateur Ken Venturi in 1956.
Still, he has a big edge on the rest of the group to put on a green jacket and enter Butler Cabin as the champion.
Matsuyama (or the eventual winner) will take home $2,070,000. A solo second finish would still net seven figures.
You can take a look at the top-10 Masters payout list (the full payout structure can be found in the link below) alongside predictions for the top five finishers.
Masters Payouts
Win: $2,070,000
2: $1,242,0003: $782,000
4: $552,000
5: $460,000
6: $414,000
7: $385,250
8: $356,500
9: $333,500
10: $310,500
Source: Golf Digest's Ryan Herrington
Winner: Hideki Matsuyama (-14)
No one has played better over a nine-hole stretch than Matsuyama did on the back nine Saturday.
Birdies on No. 11 and No. 12 eventually led to an eagle on No. 15 after he left himself with just six feet to the pin.
He stayed on fire through the 16th and 17th holes with two more birdies and parred the 18th to finish with the only bogey-free round carded thus far in the tournament.
Matsuyama, who was the low amateur at the 2011 Masters as a 19-year-old, should cruise to the Masters title if his irons stay hot.
If his putter, which has given him trouble in the past, stays cooperative, then he shouldn't encounter too much stress as the round closes either.
2: Xander Schauffele (-12)
Schauffele has a habit of hanging around the top of the major leaderboards.
He took part in 14 majors before teeing off Thursday, and those performances resulted in seven top-10 finishes and six top-six results. He also finished tied for second at the 2019 Masters, one shot behind Tiger Woods.
His excellent all-around game led to him finishing top five or better in six competitions in an eight-tournament stretch in 2020 and 2021. His form hasn't been as great since then, notably missing The Players Championship cut.
But Schauffele knows how to navigate around majors on Sundays, and he's the prime candidate to give Matsuyama a challenge.
T3: Justin Rose (-10)
Rose finished Thursday at seven under, Friday at seven under and Saturday at seven under. He's held steady after posting a 65 on the opening day, but the field, which was four shots back Thursday and one shot behind Friday, has passed him up.
Rose is clearly capable of dominating over a stretch in Augusta. He did so Thursday and shot 67-69 over the weekend at the 2017 Masters to force a playoff with Sergio Garcia.
To his credit, Rose hasn't let the bottom fall out after losing the four-shot edge.
His gutsy performance on No. 18 Saturday should give him some momentum going into Sunday. His drive found the pine straw, and his approach landed 35 yards from the hole. Rose then got the ball on the green and sunk a 17-foot par putt to stay tied for second.
Perhaps that's the boost he needs to get back in red numbers for a round.
T3: Jordan Spieth (-10)
No current golfer has had more ups and downs on Sundays at the Masters than Jordan Spieth.
On the high side, Spieth once shot an eight-under 64 to nearly make an incredible comeback at the 2018 Masters. He fell just short, losing by two strokes to Patrick Reed. Spieth also got a green jacket after his two-under 70 capped an 18-under performance in 2015.
On the low side, Spieth lost a five-shot lead and lost by three in 2016 to Danny Willett. Spieth notably posted a quadruple bogey on the 12th.
The guess here is that Spieth finishes strong and threatens a top-two finish. He's been in great form of late, notably entering the tournament off a win at the Valero Texas Open.
On Saturday, Spieth started where he finished (five under), but look for him to recapture some past Augusta magic here.
5: Will Zalatoris (-9)
PGA Tour rookie Will Zalatoris entered Saturday tied for second at seven under, and his performance has been one of this tournament's most notable storylines.
Saturday was more of a struggle, with a bogey on the par-five 13th arguably his biggest disappointment of the round.
To his credit, Zalatoris gutted through the round and managed to find himself in a second-place tie going into the final 18 holes.
He could have even been solo second after finding himself with a 17-footer for eagle on the 15th, but his third shot did not fall in the cup.
Still, Zalatoris hasn't let the pressure of this being his first Masters affect him whatsoever. For what it's worth, the spotlight won't be on him nearly as much Sunday, with all eyes likely on Matsuyama to start.
Look for Zalatoris to finish his first Masters on a high note en route to a strong rookie season on the PGA Tour.