What You Get For Finishing Second At The Masters

Magnolia Lane at Augusta National.

Any player who misses out on a Masters title with a runner-up finish is sure to have an overriding sense of what might have been in the days that follow his Augusta National near miss.

Winning the tournament doesn’t just etch a player’s name into the history books, it also ensures perks including huge prize money, a lifetime exemption and a place in the other three Majors for the next five years.

Those aren’t the only advantages of winning The Masters, with other notable benefits including a sterling silver replica of the trophy to keep, the honor of wearing the Green Jacket, a gold medal, the chance to set the menu for the following year’s Champions Dinner, honorary membership of Augusta National and a spot in the champions locker room.

However, even though the benefits of winning The Masters are some of the most sought-after in the game, the player who finishes runner-up is given several significant perks too. Here are some of the big advantages.

Prize Money

Ludvig Aberg won over $2m for his runner-up finish in 2024, but there's (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Masters offers one of the most lucrative prize money payouts in the game, with the 2024 tournament’s purse coming to $20m. Winner Scottie Scheffler claimed $3.6m of that, but for runner-up Ludvig Aberg, it wasn’t a bad four days of work either, with the Swede banking $2.16m.

There was even more at stake in the 2025 edition, with a prize money payout of $21m available. The winner will leave Augusta National $4.2m wealthier, but the runner-up will also have the bonus of a $2.268m payday.

Exemptions

The runner-up guarantees a place at the following year's Masters (Image credit: Getty Images)

The right to play in The Masters for life is surely one of the biggest advantages of winning the tournament, but it’s not all bad for the runner-up either. Anyone finishing in the top 12 and ties, including the runner-up, books their place for the following year, taking worries over world ranking or any other ways to qualify out of the equation.

World Ranking Points

One of the most surefire ways of reaching any of the four Majors is to attain a high enough world ranking by certain deadlines. Like the other three Majors, The Masters offers more world ranking points than any other event.

While the winner claims 100 points, the runner-up is guaranteed 60 - not too far behind the winners of the PGA Tour’s prestigious signature events.

Season-Long Tour Points

Significant FedEx Cup points are available to the runner-up (Image credit: Getty Images)

Players can also win more FedEx Cup points at the Majors than most other tournaments, with only The Players Championship offering an equal number.

The FedEx Cup features a season-long battle for places in the Playoffs, with most PGA Tour events offering 500 points to the winner. Finishing runner-up at The Masters doesn’t offer quite as many, at 400, but that kind of haul can go a long way to acquiring the points needed to not only reach the lucrative Playoffs, but also secure full playing rights on the PGA Tour for the following season.

For those whose time is spent more on the DP World Tour, finishing runner-up awards 1,113 Race to Dubai ranking points.

Silverware

The runner-up receives silverware, including a silver medal (Image credit: The Masters)

As well as career-enhancing perks, the runner-up also receives some impressive mementos.

While the winner is handed a gold medal, the runner-up’s achievement is acknowledged with a 1.7 ounce silver medal depicting the clubhouse from the Founders Circle off Magnolia Lane – a prize that has been awarded since the 1951 edition.

The Masters silver salver has been awarded to the runner-up since 1978 (Image credit: The Masters)

The player finishing second also gets a silver salver, which was first awarded at the 1978 edition, while, along with the winner, his name is engraved on The Masters trophy.