In 2025, professional golf caddies saw their paycheques reach unprecedented heights with a mix of PGA Tour consistency and LIV Golf\u2019s massive prize payouts making it possible.<\/p>\n
The top earners weren\u2019t just along for the journey \u2013 they helped guide elite players to victory and consistently finished in the top 10 of events.<\/p>\n
From LIV\u2019s eye-watering championship payouts to PGA Tour Majors and high-stakes tournaments, these bagmen earned life-changing sums.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s widely known that caddies take home 10% of their players\u2019 prize money for an event win, around 7% for a top 10 and 5% as a base.<\/p>\n
Using the 5\/7\/10 rule, we\u2019ve broken the five highest-earning caddies of the year, revealing who they caddied for, their players\u2019 victories, and their approximate winnings in another lucrative season.<\/p>\n
1. Gary Matthews (Joaquinn Niemann) \u2013 $2.93million<\/p>\n
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LIV event wins 2025: 5
\nBest Major finish 2025: T8 \u2013 PGA Championship<\/p>\n
Joaquin Niemann dominated the LIV Golf League in 2025, winning five individual events \u2013 Adelaide, Singapore, Mexico, Virginia, and the UK \u2013 each with at least a $4 million individual prize.<\/p>\n
His caddie, Gary Matthews, earned $400,000 per win, plus $800,000 from Niemann\u2019s $8 million LIV Individual Championship effort, where he fell just short to Jon Rahm at the last hurdle.<\/p>\n
Additional top-10 finishes across the season pushed his total caddie earnings to approximately $2.93 million, making him the highest-paid caddie of the year.<\/p>\n
2. Adam Hayes (Jon Rahm) \u2013 $2.75million<\/p>\n
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LIV event wins 2025: 5
\nBest Major finish 2025: T7 \u2013 U.S. Open<\/p>\n
Jon Rahm\u2019s consistency was remarkable. Although he did not capture a regular-season win, he recorded seven top-10 finishes in events including Riyadh, Miami, Dallas, and Chicago.<\/p>\n
The big payday came at the LIV Golf Individual Championship, where Rahm earned $18 million for the second year running, giving Adam Hayes $1.8 million alone.<\/p>\n
Combined with top-10 earnings from other events, Hayes finished the year with roughly $2.75 million.<\/p>\n
3. Ted Scott (Scottie Scheffler) \u2013 $2.11million<\/p>\n
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PGA event wins 2025: 5
\nBest Major finish 2025: Win \u2013 (PGA Championship & The Open)<\/p>\n
Scottie Scheffler dominated the PGA Tour in 2025 with five wins and 16 top-10 finishes.<\/p>\n
While PGA Tour events typically have smaller individual payouts than LIV\u2019s $4 million wins, Scheffler\u2019s consistent excellence, including two Major tournament wins at the PGA Championship and Open, meant Ted Scott earned over $2.11 million.<\/p>\n
Scheffler\u2019s season-long dominance ensured his bagman was among the elite earners in golf.<\/p>\n
4. Ian Finnis (Tommy Fleetwood) \u2013 $1.59million<\/p>\n
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PGA event wins 2025: 1
\nBest Major finish 2025: T16 \u2013 The Open<\/p>\n
Tommy Fleetwood\u2019s big moment came with a $10 million winner\u2019s cheque in his maiden PGA Tour victory at the lucrative Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.<\/p>\n
Ian Finnis pocketed $1 million from that win alone, but the prize money would have been insignificant in contrast to the jubilation of Fleetwood getting his first-ever PGA Tour title over the line.<\/p>\n
Adding seven additional top-10 finishes during the season brought his total caddie earnings to around $1.59 million, putting him fourth on the list.<\/p>\n
5. Harry Diamond (Rory McIlroy) \u2013 $1.38million<\/p>\n
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PGA event wins 2025: 3
\nBest Major finish 2025: Win \u2013 Masters<\/p>\n
Rory McIlroy continued his PGA Tour success with three wins and eight top-10 finishes in 2025.<\/p>\n
Victories at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players Championship, the Canadian Open contributed substantially<\/p>\n
But his and caddie Harry Diamond\u2019s crowning moment was the Masters win at Augusta National that sealed McIlroy a Career Grand Slam as he became just the sixth player to join the coveted club.<\/p>\n
With 10% cuts for each win and 7% cuts from additional top-10s, this brought Diamond\u2019s earnings to approximately $1.38 million, rounding out the top five for the year.<\/p>\n