BMW PGA Championship prize money: Over £600,000 earnings boost on offer to winner but Wentworth has slipped in prize money rankings
Traditionally known as the flagship event of the European Tour, the BMW PGA Championship is no longer the tournament targeted for a bank balance boost by golf's elite.
Masters champion Danny Willett is playing at Wentworth but big names including Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson have opted not to enter this year.
One factor could be the tournament's relatively small prize money pool of roughly £3.8m, which offers this year's winner £634,000 in prize money.
Read more: Huge Ryder Cup points available at the BMW PGA Championship
That makes it the most lucrative tournament in Wentworth's illustrious history, yet it is just the 13th biggest prize money offering on this year's European Tour and is dwarfed by the Tour's World Golf Championship (WGC), Final Series and Race to Dubai events as well as golf's four Majors.
For example, should current Tour leader Willett win his second title of the year in Surrey this weekend, he would make just half of what he took home for his Masters triumph last month.
Beyond the Majors, the most generous tournament on the European Tour are the WGC events in Shanghai, Florida and Austin, which boast prize funds of just under £6.5m.
The Race to Dubai finale, the DP World Tour Championship, and the World Cup of Golf follow with a fund worth around £5.4m.
In contrast to the BMW PGA Championship's £3.8m fund, the PGA Tour's Dean & Deluca Invitational — also taking place this weekend in Fort Worth, Texas — has a fund worth around £4.5m.
BMW PGA Championship prize money breakdown:
| Position | Prize money |
| 1. | €833,330 |
| 2. | €555,550 |
| 3. | €313,000 |
| 4. | €250,000 |
| 5. | €212,000 |
| 6. | €175,000 |
| 7. | €150,000 |
| 8. | €125,000 |
| 9. | €112,000 |
| 10. | €100,000 |
| 11. | €92,000 |
| 12. | €86,000 |
| 13. | €80,500 |
| 14. | €76,500 |
| 15. | €73,500 |