sdandrea1
According to PGA Tour dot com, Phil has pocketed over $83 million in earned money alone up until this current season, which obviously doesn't include sponsorship revenues. That's averaging $3.32 million per year in on-course earnings alone.
So if Bones is getting the basic standard of 10% and nothing else - that's over $300k/year, which equals nearly $8.5 million during that time.
The big question is (if) Phil covered most of his expenses during this time, which could reasonably be assumed. It's not like Phil's ever had a season where he was hurting for money, and (unlike someone else (cough - Tiger) ) has always seemed fairly generous regarding tips, compensation, etc.
And, if that assumption is correct - that's pretty good pay, especially considering that for part of that time early on - his earnings as a caddie put him ahead of some guys who eked their way into the top 125 money list at the end of the season. Of course, as purses increased over the years that would no longer be the case.
I think Bones has made out pretty good. My wife has worked loyally and faithfully for her employer, 5 days per week, 50+ hours per day, for 27 years and her standard non-bonus annual salary is still shy of that mark. 😉
I think he's in a pretty good position (if he managed his income wisely during that time) to retire or take on whatever second-career gig he wants.
Whatever the case, I think Bones was a great acquisition for a network wanting some street cred. He'll undoubtedly struggle early on with finding his style, but here's the deal: if Gary McCord can manage a comfortable living doing this, Bones can.