The unexpected reason why the Turkish Open champion won $1.5 MILLION more than the runners-up

It’s not uncommon for PGA and European Tour winners to make well more than a million dollars for a win, but the $2 million that was awarded on Sunday at the Turkish Airlines Open rivals the winner’s share of the game’s biggest tournaments. In the U.S., only the Masters ($2.07 million), U.S. Open ($2.25 million) and Players Championship ($2.25 million) offer more to the winner.

But the lucrative European Tour event is also remarkable this year not just for the size of the winner’s check, but also for how much more the winner ended up making than the runner-up. Why? Because a six-way playoff for the title resulted in a five-way tie for second, diluting the planned $828,000 second-place check down to $429,302.35 (389,603.69 Euros) each. The check for T7 was $161,116.75

The sixsome headed to the 18th hole to decide the winner in a sudden-death playoff. Three players were eliminated right away when the other three made birdies. Darkness necessitated the use of floodlights for the ensuing holes, which the remaining players agreed to.

On the second go-around on 18, all three players made par. The third time, one was eliminated when the other two made birdies. On the fourth go-around, Austria’s Matthias Schwab missed a six-footer to extend the playoff, and England’s Tyrrell Hatton claimed the title — and the massive winner’s check.

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