Arnold Palmer Invitational 2017 purse: Winner’s payout is $1.6 million in prize money

The 2017 Arnold Palmer Invitational will be one of the most special weeks on the PGA Tour. It’s the first edition in the event’s history without its namesake and the entire week has been a tribute in about a 1,000 different ways to the legendary icon, “Arnie.” It’s been sentimental, emotional, celebratory, and nostalgic. There won’t be many weeks like it on Tour this season and it’s been a constant reminder of all that Mr. Palmer did for the game.

Palmer’s largest impact may be felt in the way golf and the PGA Tour became a major presence in the American sporting conscious. He made it big business, becoming the first athlete to harness his marketing and promotional powers and creating IMG. All athletes, not just golfers, owe a bit of their off-course/field/court earnings to Palmer’s immense popularity and marketing prowess during the rise of TV last century.

The money this week is obviously not the most important prize. Winning Arnie’s event, one of the premier stops on the PGA Tour, is a career achievement and a nice addition to any resume, even that of a powerhouse Hall-of-Famer like Rory McIlroy. Doing it in the first year since he’s passed would be extra special, too.

The money, however, will still be a pretty nice bonus this week. That’s because the PGA Tour has made a huge commitment to this event with both a cash and exemption bonus. They want to make sure the prestige and importance of the stop at Bay Hill do not degrade with Arnie no longer presiding over everything. They’re doing the same with Jack Nicklaus’ event, the Memorial. The boost is an additional one year of status on the PGA Tour, bumping the normal two-year exemption for a PGA Tour win to three years for winning the API.

Last year, Jason Day won $1,134,000 of a total $6.3 million purse. This year, the winner will bank $1,566,000 million of an $8.7 million purse. It’s a massive jump and indicative of how committed the PGA Tour and “Arnie’s army” are to keeping the status of this event strong years after he’s gone. Whoever wins on Sunday night, whether it’s Rory, Kevin Kisner, Marc Leishman, or some other pro, the money won’t be the first or most important perk of the victory. This week has been about so much more than another big PGA Tour purse. But it’s good to know that the PGA Tour is not letting this event fall by the wayside, and sponsors and organizers are putting their dollars behind it.

Here’s the full payout breakdown (these totals will obviously be affected by ties, and we’ll update when the results go final):

Update: Marc Leishman is your winner. Here are the final scores and payout totals for the 72 players who made the cut.