Queenslander Cameron Smith has won The Players Championship, pocketing him golf's biggest purse in the process.
The 27-year-old, who jumps from 10th to 6th in the world rankings with the victory at TPC Sawgrass, held his nerve to secure the tournament at 13-under, winning by one stroke over India's Anirban Lahiri.
Chasing the lead all weekend, Smith made a staggering 10 birdies in the final round to edge his way past fellow contenders Lahiri and England's Paul Casey to seal what is undeniably the biggest milestone in his professional golfing career.
Proving the old golf saying 'drive for show, putt for dough' isn't just course speak, Smith's work on the green was the pivotal factor separating him from the rest of the star-studded field as he made a staggering 42 one-putts over the course of the tournament.
The victory marked Smith's second PGA title of the year after his record-breaking win at 34-under at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January and cemented him as one of the key contenders heading into April's US Masters, which is the first major of the year.
THE PLAYER CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZEMONEY
While it's not a 'major' tournament on the PGA Tour, The Players Championship is recognised as golf's most lucrative event.
Contestants share a prize worth $20 million USD, which equates to approximately $27 million Australian dollars. The 2022 edition of 'The Players' is the richest ever, with the purse bumped up another $5 million USD from last year.
As the winner, Smith claims the biggest chunk of the purse, cashing in a monstrous $3.6 million (approx. $5 million AUD), along with many other PGA Tour exemptions.
An embarrassment of riches for winning today. pic.twitter.com/Z3tEe01b8m
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) March 14, 2022
To contextualise, the $20 million USD prize is nearly double any of the four major championship purses.
Meanwhile, every player that finishes in the top 36 will make over six figures, while even the lowest finishers after the cut go home with a tidy $41,000 USD.
Read below for what each player in the field takes home. Earnings listed in USD.
| Position | Player | Score | Earnings (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cameron Smith | -13 | $3,600,000 |
| 2 | Anirban Lahiri | -12 | $2,180,000 |
| 3 | Paul Casey | -11 | $1,380,000 |
| 4 | Kevin Kisner | -10 | $980,000 |
| 5 | Keegan Bradley | -9 | $820,000 |
| T6 | Harold Varner III | -8 | $675,000 |
| T6 | Russell Knox | -8 | $675,000 |
| T6 | Doug Ghim | -8 | $675,000 |
| T9 | Sepp Straka | -7 | $525,000 |
| T9 | Adam Hadwin | -7 | $525,000 |
| T9 | Viktor Hovland | -7 | $525,000 |
| T9 | Dustin Johnson | -7 | $525,000 |
| T13 | Russell Henley | -6 | $327,222 |
| T13 | Keith Mitchell | -6 | $327,222 |
| T13 | Taylor Pendrith | -6 | $327,222 |
| T13 | Erik van Rooyen | -6 | $327,222 |
| T13 | Daniel Berger | -6 | $327,222 |
| T13 | Max Homa | -6 | $327,222 |
| T13 | Tyrrell Hatton | -6 | $327,222 |
| T13 | Brendan Steele | -6 | $327,222 |
| T13 | Shane Lowry | -6 | $327,222 |
| T22 | Joaquin Niemann | -5 | $201,000 |
| T22 | Patton Kizzire | -5 | $201,000 |
| T22 | Tommy Fleetwood | -5 | $201,000 |
| T22 | Kevin Streelman | -5 | $201,000 |
| T26 | Corey Conners | -4 | $140,000 |
| T26 | Doc Redman | -4 | $140,000 |
| T26 | Sergio Garcia | -4 | $140,000 |
| T26 | Alex Noren | -4 | $140,000 |
| T26 | Patrick Reed | -4 | $140,000 |
| T26 | Will Zalatoris | -4 | $140,000 |
| T26 | Sam Burns | -4 | $140,000 |
| T33 | Abraham Ancer | -3 | $140,000 |
| T33 | Ian Poulter | -3 | $97,750 |
| T33 | Justin Thomas | -3 | $97,750 |
| T33 | Seamus Power | -3 | $97,750 |
| T33 | Joel Dahmen | -3 | $97,750 |
| T33 | Pat Perez | -3 | $97,750 |
| T33 | Tom Hoge | -3 | $97,750 |
| T33 | Rory McIlroy | -3 | $97,750 |
| T33 | Sebastián Muñoz | -3 | $97,750 |
| T42 | Kramer Hickok | -2 | $73,000 |
| T42 | Francesco Molinari | -2 | $73,000 |
| T42 | Scott Stallings | -2 | $73,000 |
| T42 | Louis Oosthuizen | -2 | $73,000 |
| T46 | Maverick McNealy | -1 | $57,700 |
| T46 | Troy Merritt | -1 | $57,700 |
| T46 | Adam Long | -1 | $57,700 |
| T46 | Peter Malnati | -1 | $57,700 |
| T50 | Brice Garnett | E | $50,200 |
| T50 | Dylan Frittelli | E | $50,200 |
| T50 | Aaron Wise | E | $50,200 |
| T53 | Jason Kokrak | 1 | $47,800 |
| T53 | Branden Grace | 1 | $47,800 |
| T55 | Jimmy Walker | 2 | $46,200 |
| T55 | Sungjae Im | 2 | $46,200 |
| T55 | Jon Rahm | 2 | $46,200 |
| T55 | Scottie Scheffler | 2 | $46,200 |
| T55 | K.H. Lee | 2 | $46,200 |
| T60 | Sam Ryder | 3 | $44,600 |
| T60 | Michael Thompson | 3 | $44,600 |
| T60 | Denny McCarthy | 3 | $44,600 |
| T63 | Hank Lebioda | 4 | $43,400 |
| T63 | Chesson Hadley | 4 | $43,400 |
| T63 | Brian Harman | 4 | $43,400 |
| T66 | Hayden Buckley | 5 | $42,400 |
| T66 | Nick Watney | 5 | $42,400 |
| T68 | Lucas Herbert | 7 | $41,600 |
| T68 | Bubba Watson | 7 | $41,600 |
| 70 | Lee Hodges | 9 | $41,000 |