The DP World Tour just got creative with this new payday for tour pros

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[PHOTO: Warren Little]

When pros make holes-in-one during tour events, they’re frequently rewarded for their good fortune. Sometimes it’s a cash prize. Often it’s a new car or some other swanky piece of merchandise. Conversely, when a tour pro sets a course record during a tournament – arguably a more difficult accomplishment – the reward involves little more than a pat on the back, maybe your name on a plaque at the course and a couple of fun headlines.

RELATED: This DP World Tour winner claims to have shot three course records while being ‘completely hammered’

Not anymore, however, at least on the DP World Tour. Overnight, Australian time, tour officials unveiled a new program that will provide an extra financial incentive to go low.

Sponsored by Nexo, a digital assets wealth platform that is also sponsoring this week’s Nexo Championship, the program will pay a minimum of $US10,000 to the first player who breaks a course record in a DP World Tour event that continues to stand at the close of the tournament. But here’s where things get interesting: if no course record is shot, the prizemoney rolls over to the next event, with another $10,000 added to the pot. When a successful course record is finally set, the prize fund returns to $10,000.

Not surprisingly, there is some fine print that comes with the program. A course record must be broken, not tied, and rounds played with preferred lies are not eligible. Plus, only tournaments played on one course will be part of the program. And if weather impacts a tournament, at least 36 holes must be completed.

According to the DP World Tour, 10 course records were broken in 2024 and there have been seven set so far during the 2025 season.

“We’re always looking for new ways to celebrate and reward the incredible talent on the DP World Tour, and the Course Record Presented by Nexo does just that,” said Ben Cowen, DP World Tour chief tournament and operations officer, in a press release. “It will also further enhance the spectacle for our fans, with players tempted to take extra risks to shoot that coveted course record and claim the prize. A big thank you to Nexo for spearheading this new prize and best of luck to the players competing at the Nexo Championship.”

The program begins this week at the DP World Tour’s Nexo Championship, being held at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, Scotland. As an added incentive, Nexo will pay an additional $US50,000 in Nexo tokens for a course record this week.

If there’s any tour pro who has to wish such a program existed in the past and on the PGA Tour, we’re guessing it’s Justin Thomas. In April, he matched the course record at Harbour Town Golf Links with an opening-round 61 en route to victory at the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage. After the impressive round, it was revealed that this was the ninth(!) different 18-hole course records Thomas had nabbed.

That includes three outright records that would have allowed him to cash in.