Arnold Palmer Invitational purse: Winner will earn $1.134 million payout at Bay Hill

The purses are growing at almost every tournament around the world, and the Arnold Palmer Invitational is no different. The annual stop at Bay Hill has a $100,000 bump from last year’s purse. That’s not a huge increase compared to some of the enormous jumps that we’ve seen at the majors in recent years. But the purse is still large enough that the winner will take seven figures from the $6.3 million purse.

The first place prize this year is $1,134,000, which is about $18,000 more than what Matt Every won in 2014. The good news for Every is that he’s right there and in the hunt for another career-payday at this tournament. Every has been mediocre-to-bad this season, and hasn’t done much since that first career win at Bay Hill a year ago. But his ball striking has been beautiful this week and there has been no sign of that shaky form in recent weeks. Every’s career earnings are $7,162,784, so he’s not exactly hurting for cash. The win probably matters more at this point, and it would get him a late invite to the Masters.

The man Every is chasing, Henrik Stenson, is really not in need of another million dollar payday. Stenson, of course, won the FedExCup just two years ago and bagged that $10 million grand prize, the biggest windfall in the game. Shortly thereafter, he took the Race to Dubai, the Euro Tour’s postseason and equivalent to the FEC. It was an astonishingly lucrative stretch for a guy who already had several worldwide wins, including a Players Championship, which boasts the richest purse in golf.

Stenson’s career earnings are at $35,312,700. His status as one of the top five players in the world is pretty secure right now. His resume really just needs that major championship win and a victory this Sunday will definitely make him one of the favorites at Augusta, if he wasn’t already.

Aside from Every and Stenson, there’s really only one other player in contention for the winner’s check. Morgan Hoffmann held a two-shot lead at one point on the front nine on Sunday, but some spotty decisions and a few bogeys have him three back with just four holes to play. Hoffmann has never won on the PGA Tour, so this would be a career-changing moment for one of the better young talents in the sport.

Here are the complete payout totals for the field. These will obviously be affected by ties and we’ll update when the final results are posted.

UPDATE: Every did pass Stenson, earning his second straight winner’s check at Arnie’s place. Here are the final payout totals.