BMW PGA Championship 2026 Golf Salaries For JJ Spaun and Rory McIlroy

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In some of the most nail-biting golf of the year, JJ Spaun took home the BMW PGA Championship for the first time, becoming just the third American after Billy Horschel in 2021 and 2024, as well as the legendary Arnold Palmer, who lifted the trophy in 1975.

This was Spaun's first victory on foreign soil, with his wife acting as his biggest cheerleader, even bizarrely donning a Jeremy Clarkson mask across the four days.

The spirit of Clarkson powered the American on to victory, as he finished the event with an impressive 17-under-par.

Across the four days, Spaun outlasted a packed leaderboard to claim victory on Sunday, with Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai, Adam Scott and Manuel Elvira finishing joint-second on 15-under-par.

The 36-year-old victor made an impressive start to his four-day procession, carding a two-under-par 70 to sit joint-fourth after the opening round. He followed that up with a superb six-under-par on day two—the second-best score of any player in the field—before a four-under-par third round firmly established him as a genuine contender for the championship.

His final day proved decisive, with Spaun carding a five-under 67 and producing his best golf when it mattered most. Four birdies across his final five holes saw him surge to the top of the leaderboard and ultimately secure the BMW PGA Championship.

The final day, however, saw a strong cohort in contention for the title, none more than the relatively unknown Spaniard Elvira.

The 294th-ranked golfer in the world shocked viewers on the Wentworth course, with him leading the group with just one hole to go.

The Spaniard approached the 18th hole knowing a birdie would win him the tournament, and a par would be enough to force a play-off, with Spaun sitting in the clubhouse, having already finished his round.

But it was a disastrous round for Elvira. He opened up with an iron off the tee, found a fairway bunker when he took the conservative option to lay up.

To make matters worse, he then missed the green with his approach, almost finding the grandstand, and botched his fourth into the sand after being given a free drop. Once he escaped, he took a further two putts, and his double-bogey seven finish deprived him of even finishing the tournament in outright second place.

"[It was] devastating that I hit the wrong shot at the right time on the lay up and left myself the toughest shot in the fairway bunker, and wasn't able to pull it off," Elvira said.

"I've played some of the best golf probably of my life."

As Elvira trudged away, being consoled by his brother as he let a victory of a lifetime slip away from his fingers, Spaun was busy celebrating in the clubhouse, having finished his round earlier in the day.

While his victory will earn him a hefty $1.53 million, the American said that his omission from the US Presidents Cup had been the driving force behind his victory.

"I played with a huge chip on my shoulder. I definitely had something to prove this week but everything happens for a reason," said Spaun.

"My whole career, I've kind of had to do that. I wasn't given scholarships. I had a walk-on. I had to earn my PGA Tour card the hard way. I was never given sponsor invite opportunities. I just had to do everything the hard way.

"Being left off the Presidents Cup team a couple weeks ago was very disappointing, and you know, I wanted to prove that I deserve to be on that team."

BMW PGA Championship 2026 salaries (selected)

Nicolai Von Dellingshausen

A $9m prize pool was up for grabs over the weekend, with Spaun naturally the main beneficiary.

Consolations are in order for Elvira, but the Spaniard, along with McIlroy, Scott and Rai still took away nearly $600,000

Even those propping up the table will walk away with a pocket load of change, with Nicolai von Dellingshausen finishing last in the pack on three over, still leaving the tournament with more than $15,000.