With over $8.5 million in career prize money, two PGA Tour titles, and a growing collection of brand partnerships, Erik van Rooyen has built a serious financial profile from Bellville, South Africa to the fairways of Augusta and Los Cabos.
This article breaks down his net worth, career earnings, endorsement deals, and everything that makes him one of the more compelling financial success stories in professional golf today.
Erik van Rooyen’s Biography
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Frederik Wilhelm van Rooyen |
| Date of Birth | 21 February 1990 |
| Age | 36 |
| Birthplace | Bellville, Cape Town, South Africa |
| Nationality | South African |
| Height / Weight | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) / 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Official World Golf Ranking | Approx. 178th (OWGR) |
| Career Best OWGR | 40th (February 23, 2020) |
| Turned Professional | 2013 |
| Years Active | 2013–present |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour, Sunshine Tour (former: DP World Tour / European Tour, Challenge Tour) |
| College | University of Minnesota (2009–2013) |
| Professional Wins | 6 (PGA Tour: 2, European Tour: 1, Sunshine Tour: 1, Challenge Tour: 1, Other: 1) |
| Major Titles | None |
| Best Major Result | T8 – 2019 PGA Championship |
| Net Worth | $6 million |
| Career Prize Money | $8.5+ million (all tours, est.) |
| Spouse | Rose van Rooyen |
| Children | 2 |
| @erikvanrooyen |
Early Life and Golf Journey
Erik van Rooyen grew up in Oudtshoorn, a small city in the Western Cape of South Africa, in a household that valued sport.
His father Wim and grandfather introduced him to golf at a young age, and he quickly developed the competitive instincts that would later define his professional game.
He attended Oudtshoorn High School, where he earned South African Provincial and National Colours for golf — a distinction reserved for the country’s best young players.
At 19, van Rooyen made a bold move, crossing the Atlantic to attend the University of Minnesota. He joined the Golden Gophers men’s golf program in 2009, majoring in Business Marketing with a minor in Management.
His four years in Minneapolis transformed him into a complete golfer. He led the team in stroke average during both his junior and senior seasons, recording marks of 72.45 and 73.05 respectively, with his junior-year figure tying for the ninth-lowest single-season average in programme history.
He qualified for three consecutive NCAA Regionals, improving his individual finish from T51st in 2011 to T19th in 2012 and then to an impressive T5th in 2013.
His standout individual moment as a collegian came when he captured the 2012 Minnesota State Amateur Championship, one of the more prestigious amateur titles in the Upper Midwest.
He also captained the University of Minnesota golf team, which won the 2014 Big Ten Championship alongside teammates who would go on to play key roles in his professional life.
According to the University of Minnesota Athletics department, his career stroke average of 73.51 ranks eighth in the programme’s all-time records.
Van Rooyen turned professional in 2013 and returned to South Africa to compete on the Sunshine Tour.
It took four years to earn his first win, but the groundwork he laid in those early seasons proved essential to the international career that followed.
Professional Golf Career
Van Rooyen opened his professional account in early 2017 with a dramatic playoff win at the Eye of Africa PGA Championship on the Sunshine Tour, holing a birdie putt at the first extra hole in a three-man contest.
Later that same year, he moved to the Challenge Tour and captured the Hainan Open in China, finishing third overall in the Challenge Tour Race to Oman and securing a full card for the 2018 DP World Tour (then European Tour) season.
His European Tour debut year in 2018 was exceptional. He reached the T17 at The Open Championship at Carnoustie on his major debut and was named the European Tour Graduate of the Year.
A 2019 T8 at the PGA Championship — his best major result to date — announced him as a genuine contender at the biggest events.
Later that August, he produced one of the shots of the European Tour season, sinking a 12-foot birdie putt at the par-5 72nd hole at Hills Golf & Sports Club in Sweden to win the Scandinavian Invitation by a single stroke, setting a new tournament record of 261 under par on the par-70 layout.
Van Rooyen’s first PGA Tour win arrived in August 2021 at the Barracuda Championship, where he dominated under the modified Stableford scoring format, scoring 50 points over four rounds and setting the event’s scoring record.
His second PGA Tour title came in an even more emotionally charged setting.
In November 2023, he made a walk-off eagle on the 72nd hole of the World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico, shooting a final-round 63 that included a back-nine 28.
As the PGA Tour reported, the win — dedicated to his terminally ill college friend and former teammate Jon Trasamar — was one of the most emotionally resonant victories of the season. He finished two strokes clear of Matt Kuchar and Camilo Villegas.
Caddie
Alex Gaugert has served as van Rooyen’s caddie since 2019. The partnership has deep roots — the two first met at the University of Minnesota, where they played collegiate golf together from 2010 to 2013.
Gaugert, who is based in Scottsdale, Arizona, and holds a PGA professional certification through Tonto Verde Golf Club, brings a rare level of contextual understanding to the bag.
He was a key part of the team that won the 2014 Big Ten Championship.
Their professional partnership has produced the 2019 Scandinavian Invitation win, the 2021 Barracuda Championship, and the 2023 World Wide Technology Championship, among numerous top-10 results on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
Before Gaugert, van Rooyen worked with David McNeilly in 2018 and briefly with Tom Murray in early 2019.
Wife
Erik van Rooyen met his wife, Rose Roberts, while they were both students at the University of Minnesota.
The couple married in 2014 and have built their life together both in South Africa and around the demands of the professional golf calendar.
Rose works as an online retail buyer and has been a consistent presence throughout Erik’s career.
The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Olivia, in January 2023. They have two children.
Erik van Rooyen’s Net Worth Details
As of 2026, Erik van Rooyen’s has an estimated net worth of $6 million.
He built that figure through consistent PGA Tour and DP World Tour prize money over more than a decade as a professional, two major sponsorship relationships with Callaway Golf and ECCO, and apparel earnings through his Greyson Clothiers partnership.
Career Prize Money
Van Rooyen’s total career prize money across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Sunshine Tour, Challenge Tour, and other events is estimated at over $8.5 million.
StatMuse places his PGA Tour career earnings alone at $8,583,914, across 15 top-10 finishes and 2 victories.
His single highest-earning season came in 2020–21, when he banked approximately $2.2 million in prize money.
That total included the $630,000 first prize from his Barracuda Championship win plus a T5 at the BMW Championship, worth an additional $380,000.
His second most lucrative moment came at the 2023 World Wide Technology Championship, where the win brought him nearly $1.5 million, immediately securing his PGA Tour card for 2024.
His best major payout came from his T8 at the 2019 PGA Championship, where he collected a six-figure check from Bethpage Black.
Career Earnings By Year
| Season / Year | Tour(s) | Tournament Wins | Approx. Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Sunshine Tour / Challenge Tour | 2 (Eye of Africa PGA, Hainan Open) | ~$120,000 |
| 2018 | European Tour | 0 | ~$550,000 |
| 2019 | European Tour | 1 (Scandinavian Invitation) | ~$1,100,000 |
| 2019–20 | PGA Tour (partial) | 0 | ~$600,000 |
| 2020–21 | PGA Tour | 1 (Barracuda Championship) | ~$2,211,000 |
| 2021–22 | PGA Tour | 0 | ~$800,000 |
| 2022–23 | PGA Tour / DP World Tour | 1 (World Wide Technology Championship) | ~$2,100,000 |
| 2024 | PGA Tour | 0 | ~$900,000 |
| 2025 | PGA Tour | 0 | ~$700,000 (est.) |
Endorsements
His most significant equipment deal is with Callaway Golf. Van Rooyen plays a full Callaway setup, currently including the Callaway Elyte driver, Callaway Apex Pro and Apex TCB irons, Callaway Opus wedges, and a Callaway Chrome Soft X golf ball.
He also uses an Odyssey Toulon Design San Diego putter, which sits within the Callaway family of brands.
The full details of his bag are regularly updated on GolfWRX’s What’s in the Bag tracker. Equipment contracts at his level of tour prominence typically carry six-figure annual values plus performance bonuses.
His footwear deal with ECCO Golf is one of the most prominent brand partnerships in his portfolio. ECCO signed van Rooyen as a brand ambassador following his 2019 European Tour win, as confirmed by The Golf Wire.
The relationship has deepened over time — in 2022 and again in 2023, ECCO launched signature-edition shoes bearing van Rooyen’s name and design input, known as the ECCO Golf BIOM H4 EVR Edition.
The shoe incorporated his passion for guitar, his signature jogger-style trousers, and his distinctive moustache into the design.
This level of co-design involvement points to a meaningful commercial relationship that extends well beyond a standard equipment supply agreement.
Career Statistics
| Year | Tour | Events Played | Wins | Top 10s | Cuts Made | Year-End OWGR (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | European Tour | 24 | 0 | 4 | 17 | ~75th |
| 2019 | European Tour | 24 | 1 | 5 | 18 | ~55th |
| 2019–20 | PGA Tour (partial) | 11 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 40th (career best, Feb 2020) |
| 2020–21 | PGA Tour | 28 | 1 | 4 | 18 | ~80th |
| 2021–22 | PGA Tour | 27 | 0 | 2 | 16 | ~120th |
| 2022–23 | PGA Tour / DP World Tour | 30 | 1 | 3 | 19 | ~80th |
| 2024 | PGA Tour | 27 | 0 | 2 | 15 | ~140th |
| 2025 | PGA Tour | 25 | 0 | 1 | 13 | ~178th (current OWGR) |
FAQs
What is Erik van Rooyen’s net worth?
Erik van Rooyen’s estimated net worth is $6 million. His wealth comes from PGA Tour and DP World Tour prize money, his Callaway Golf equipment deal, ECCO footwear sponsorship, and his Greyson Clothiers apparel partnership.
How much career prize money has Erik van Rooyen earned?
Erik van Rooyen has earned over $8.5 million in career prize money across all tours. His highest single-season earnings came in 2020–21, when he collected approximately $2.2 million, anchored by his Barracuda Championship win.
What are Erik van Rooyen’s biggest endorsement deals?
His three primary endorsement partners are Callaway Golf (full equipment deal), ECCO Golf (footwear and ambassador, including a co-designed signature shoe), and Greyson Clothiers (apparel). He was previously sponsored by logistics firm Slync.io, a deal that ended in 2022.
Has Erik van Rooyen won a major championship?
His best major result remains a T8 at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black. He also recorded a T17 at The Open Championship in 2018 and a T23 at the 2020 U.S. Open.
What is Erik van Rooyen’s current world golf ranking?
Van Rooyen sits around 178th in the Official World Golf Ranking. His career peak was 40th, achieved in February 2020 following a T3 finish at the WGC-Mexico Championship. He competed in the 2026 Wyndham Championship at T2 after Round 1.
