To followers of professional golf, where multimillion-dollar paydays are commonplace, a tournament with a $30,000 winner’s check — much less one played indoors — might seem insignificant. Try telling that to Jordan Weber.
The 38-year-old from Des Moines, Iowa, was fighting back tears after winning that much and then some on Saturday in the Season Finale of the NEXT Golf Tour Powered by Trackman.
“Wow! I am shaking and crying and all the things,” Weber said moments after the round. “I cannot believe I just did that. Unbelievable. I did not think it was going to happen.”
With a global audience (of dozens, but still) watching on YouTube, Weber indeed shot a nine-under 63 at The Concession, including a back-nine 29 with birdies on the last five holes. He won by two strokes over Sigurdur Gardarsson of Iceland and Jesper Sandborg of Sweden (T-2, $17,500 each).
It was Weber’s second win of the seven-event season, pushing his total earnings to $90,319, including a $15,000 bonus for topping the Order of Merit.
Insignificant? More like life-changing. As the NEXT Golf Tour champion, Weber will also receive three Challenge Tour exemptions and a start on the DP World Tour this summer.
Which explains why the tears and the libations were flowing in Des Moines on Saturday night.
“I get to go to Europe! I’m so pumped about that,” Weber said, clutching his hands, shaking his head. “Oh, gosh, it’s amazing. It’s just hard to believe that this could even happen to me.
“We’re gonna go celebrate. I’m gonna go have a drink and celebrate with my family. It’s so exciting. I can’t believe it.”
Instead of (or at least while) opening an indoor golf center in his hometown this summer, perhaps even borrowing on his renown as arguably the best virtual golfer on the planet, Jordan Weber will be playing outdoors some 4,000 miles due east.
More than a decade after acquiring a nasty case of the yips and giving up on the game, he will tee it up in Europe as a professional golfer.
That’s about as insignificant as Scottie Scheffler’s checking account balance.
The top 100 players on the Order of Merit through Round 6 qualified for the Season Finale. The total purse of $100,000 included $5,000 for the in-round Closest to the Pin side game, with the remainder distributed to the top 10 finishers.
Following the close of the nine-day playing window on Saturday, March 16, the NEXT Golf Tour reviewed player video and Trackman data to validate scores before releasing the final results.
The top female performer of Season 2, Sweden’s Emma Thorngren, shot an even-par 72 in the finale to lock up the ANNIKA WAPT Wildcard, which includes membership to the U.S.-based ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Tour plus three entries to events during the 2024 season. Her earnings for the season totaled $17,155.
Watch Annika Sörenstam’s congratulatory message to Emma Thorngren on Instagram
Earlier in the season, the NEXT Golf Tour announced that amateur winnings in excess of $1,000 — the maximum amount a player can accept while maintaining their amateur status — will be donated to UNICEF via Golfers for Ukraine, a charitable giving initiative spearheaded by Trackman in 2022. The total amount donated during Season 2 reached $36,415.
Season 2 of the NEXT Golf Tour included 1,545 players from 55 countries who earned $1,269,800 overall. Season 3 will begin in Fall 2024.
FINAL ORDER OF MERIT STANDINGS (TOP 10)
EARNINGS OOM BONUS TOTAL
Jordan Weber $75,319 $15,000 $90,319
Nick Carlson $50,811 $9,000 $59,811
Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen $50,423 $6,000 $56,423
Kim Koivu $39,702 $4,500 $44,202
Sigurdur Arnar Gardarsson $39,303 $3,500 $42,803
Christian Jacobsen $36,757 $3,000 $39,757
Oliver Lilliedahl $35,663 $2,625 $38,288
Daniele Cabriles $31,427 $2,250 $33,677
William Östlund $29,866 $2,125 $31,991
Bjarki Pétursson $23,524 $2,000 $25,524
The full Season Finale results — including all side games winners, individual payouts and full Order of Merit rankings — can be found at NEXTGolfTour.com. Follow the action on Instagram and Facebook: @NEXTGolfTour and #NEXTGolfTour. Tune in to the NEXT Golf Show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.
