It is no secret that success in the PGA Tour brings golfers an embarrassment of riches when it comes to prize money.
And a professional caddie has now revealed exactly how much he rakes in as a result of his services on the course.
PGA Tour caddie Bryan Kopsick may not work for one of the world’s elite, but his golfer has certainly enjoyed a fantastic season.
Kopsick has caddied for Ben Silverman for the last three years, with the Canadian having ended the season ranked 110th on Tour’s money list.
Across 24 events, Kopsick faithfully served as Silverman’s caddie, helping him to achieve seven top-25 finishes.
It has been a career-best season for the 36-year-old, and the highlight came when he finished T4 at the Procore Championship in September.
And now Kopsick has taken to social media to explicitly share Silverman’s earnings, as well as the proportion that he himself took home.
Kopsick – who humorously calls himself ‘Chief Hydration Officer (CHO) & Director of Yardages for Ben Silverman’ in his X bio – began the post with the caption: ‘How much are PGA Tour caddies paid?’
He then went on to break down how his total salary for this season had been calculated.
For each of the 24 events he has worked, Kopsick earned a flat £1,500 fee ($2,000).
In addition, the standard rate sees caddies also receive five per cent of their golfer’s competition prize money – but Kopsick received that his financial deal with Silverman actually sees him receive eight per cent instead.
Generally, a caddie’s pay is upped to seven per cent for a top 10 finish and 10 per cent for a tournament win – but each golfer can ultimately decide upon their own rate, hence Kopsick’s higher base rate.
Given that Silverman was paid a total of £970k ($1,262,599) in prize money this year, his caddie therefore received a further £78k ($101,007.92).
That brings his total annual salary to just over £114k ($149k), although he mentioned that this did not take into account any additions from sponsorship deals or off-course income, nor did it factor in subtractions due to travel expenses.
In his X post, Kopsick then invited fans to ‘ask whatever’ around his revelations and the comments certainly came flooding in.
One person inquired as to whether he was happy in his role and if he thought his pay rate was fair.
Kopsick replied to the question: “1. F*** yes I am. I have the coolest job in the entire world.
“2. Oh yes I do. Beyond fair. I have zero pro golf talent and can eat ice cream the night before a round.”
Caddies for the top golfers in the world can earn far larger amounts than Kopsick, with it previously being reported that world number one Scottie Scheffler’s caddie pocketed almost £4million in 2024.
But Kopsick was clear about what his motivations were when it came to his job, which often keeps him away from home for long periods.
Kopsick admitted being away from his family was hard – but that seeing Silverman succeed made his job worth it[/caption]
“It’s tough but we don’t do it for the money,” Kopsick said. “It’s extremely rewarding to try and help someone succeed at what they’re truly good at.”
He added: “[The job is] not for everyone. Have to learn about balance and have a smaller family. We don’t have kids and yet I still miss home like hell the minute I leave.
“It’s nice having lots of time off when we’re not working. There are times we go 30+ days on road working in a row.”
