Unknown Golfer Shows That A Mediocre Career Can Eventually Pay Big On The PGA Tour

The beneficiary of Bubba Watson's meltdown at the Travelers Championship was Ken Duke who won the tournament in a playoff. The win was 44-year-old Duke's career first, who is proving that patience can pay off on the PGA Tour, even for a mediocre golfer.

Duke took home $1.1 million for his win at the Travelers, pushing his career earnings to $8.4 million on the PGA Tour and $9.3 million if we also include his winnings on the Web.com Tour, the PGA's developmental tour.

In Duke's first nine years as a pro, he played in only eight PGA Tour events and earned just $168,000. But then things took off.

In nine of the next ten seasons Duke earned at least $250,000 each year, including two years spent almost exclusively on the Web.com Tour. And in 2007 and 2008 (age 38-39), he won $4.2 million combined despite no wins.

And thanks to his first win, Duke now has won $1.6 million this season even though he has missed the cut in ten of 19 events. Not a bad living if you have the patience...