The PGA Tour has protected the elite standing of the Players Championship as the richest show on earth by guaranteeing the champion a record $3.6m (£2,746,800) from an overall prize fund of $20m (£15,262,000) available at TPC Sawgrass. When Rory McIlroy collected $2.25m for winning golf's unofficial fifth major in 2019 from a prize fund of £12.5m, the United States Golf Association (USGA) restored financial parity with The Players by matching those lofty figures as US Open winner Gary Woodland triumphed at Pebble Beach.