He shot a jaw-dropping 10-under 62 to steal the NEXT Golf Tour Championship lead, then watched AJ Cavotta edge him by a single stroke — yet still walked away as the Season 4 Order of Merit champion and earned a coveted DP World Tour start.
Simon Zach’s story is one of the most quietly compelling journeys in modern professional golf, and it finally hit the main stage.
Simon Zach’s Biography
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Šimon Zach |
| Date of Birth | April 20, 1996 |
| Age | 30 |
| Nationality | Czech |
| Birthplace | Prague, Czech Republic |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| College | University of Louisville |
| Turned Professional | August 2019 |
| Years Active | 2019–present |
| Tour(s) | DP World Tour (invited), HotelPlanner Tour (Challenge Tour), NEXT Golf Tour |
| Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) | ~2,615 (August 2026) |
| Net Worth | ~$400,000 |
| Career Prize Money | ~$350,000+ |
| Major Titles | 0 |
| Relationship Status | Partner (expecting first child) |
| @sajmikgolf |
Early Life and Golf Journey
Simon Zach was born on April 20, 1996, in Prague, Czech Republic, and grew up surrounded by a sporting family.
His father, Petr Zach, and mother, Sarka Zachova, supported his athletic development from an early age. Golf became his calling before his teenage years, and he showed exceptional promise on the junior circuit almost immediately.
Zach won the Czech International Junior Championship in 2012, announcing himself as one of the brightest young talents to emerge from Central Europe.
That result opened doors across the continent and helped him build an amateur record that would become a launchpad for a professional career.
His trajectory took a sharp upward turn as he matured through the amateur ranks. He placed third at the European Amateur Championship and finished seventh at the Brabazon Trophy in 2016.
He also won the Slovakian Men’s Amateur Championship in 2014 — a remarkable achievement given his Czech roots — and represented his country at the Eisenhower Trophy, finishing 22nd in 2014.
Rather than turning pro immediately, Zach made a bold decision: he crossed the Atlantic to study and play college golf in the United States. He attended Gymnazium Pripotocni in Prague before enrolling at the University of Louisville.
Playing for the Cardinals under the American collegiate system gave him access to some of the best coaching and competition available to any amateur golfer in the world.
In his senior 2018–19 season, Zach led the team with a pair of wins, capturing victories at the Bank of Tennessee — shooting 15-under-par 201 — and at the Bash at the Beach, where he shot a 5-under 208.
He finished with a 73.00 stroke average across 12 events and 30 rounds, showing the consistency that would later define his professional approach.
Professional Golf Career
Simon Zach’s path through the professional ranks has been a study in patience, resilience, and elite simulator golf.
After turning professional in 2019, he competed on lower-tier European developmental tours while balancing his work as a golf instructor at the PCG and Oaks Prague academies.
His breakthrough came through an unconventional route. The NEXT Golf Tour, played exclusively on Trackman simulators, offered a $250,000 total prize pool with $40,000 to the championship winner, along with direct pathways to golf’s biggest stages.
Zach, who had finished T6–2–2 in the World Series events leading into the Season 4 finale, produced the round of the championship under pressure — a breathtaking 10-under 62 to vault to 18-under overall at the Tour Championship.
American AJ Cavotta ultimately claimed the championship title by one shot at 19-under, but Zach’s cumulative World Series performances meant Cavotta couldn’t overtake him in the overall Order of Merit race, and when the window closed at midnight CET, Season 4 officially belonged to Simon Zach.
Winning the Season 4 Order of Merit earned him one start on the DP World Tour and six starts on the HotelPlanner Tour (Challenge Tour).
He described the achievement in deeply personal terms: “Winning the tour starts means everything to me. I couldn’t ask for more and I am really excited for the season,” said the 29-year-old, who also confirmed he would become a father for the first time in May.
Zach made his DP World Tour debut at the 2026 Nexo Championship at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, receiving a tournament invitation after winning the Trackman-powered NEXT Golf Tour earlier in the year.
Simon Zach’s Net Worth Details
As of 2026, Simon Zach’s has an estimated net worth of approximately $400,000.
He has built this through prize money earned on developmental and simulator-based tours, his work as a golf instructor in Prague, and his newly established access to the DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour circuits.
Career Prize Money
Simon Zach’s career prize money is estimated at approximately $350,000, accumulated primarily through developmental tour events and the NEXT Golf Tour circuit.
The NEXT Golf Tour Season 4 Championship alone offered $250,000 in total prize money, with $40,000 to the outright winner of the Tour Championship.
Zach did not win that event outright — AJ Cavotta claimed the $40,000 winner’s check — but his cumulative results across the season’s World Series events placed him top of the Order of Merit.
His most notable single-tournament result as an amateur came at the University of Louisville, where he won the Bank of Tennessee with a 15-under-par 201 and the Warrior Princeville Invitational with an incredible 21-under-par total.
With his new DP World Tour and HotelPlanner Tour starts in 2026, Zach now has access to prize funds significantly larger than anything he has competed for before.
A top-10 finish at a typical DP World Tour event could alone surpass his entire previous professional earnings.
Career Earnings By Year
| Season / Year | Tour | Tournament Wins | Est. Prize Money Earned |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–2020 | Developmental / Pro Golf Tour | 0 | ~$10,000 |
| 2020–2021 | Developmental tours | 0 | ~$8,000 |
| 2021–2022 | Czech & European mini-tours | 0 | ~$15,000 |
| 2022–2023 | European mini-tours | 0 | ~$20,000 |
| 2023–2024 | NEXT Golf Tour / regional events | 0 | ~$40,000 |
| 2024–2025 | NEXT Golf Tour (multiple World Series podiums) | 0 | ~$150,000 |
| 2025–2026 | NEXT Golf Tour Season 4 (Order of Merit Champion) / DP World Tour debut | 0 (OoM title) | ~$100,000+ |
Career Statistics
| Year | Tour | Events Played | Wins | Majors Won | OWGR (Year-End) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Developmental / Czech tours | ~8 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2020 | Developmental tours | ~6 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2021 | Czech / European mini-tours | ~10 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2022 | European mini-tours | ~12 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2023 | NEXT Golf Tour S2/S3 | ~8 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
| 2024–25 | NEXT Golf Tour Season 4 (World Series) | ~8 | 0 (T2, T2, T6) | 0 | ~2,900 |
| 2026 | DP World Tour (invited), HotelPlanner Tour | Ongoing | 0 | 0 | ~2,615 |
FAQs
What is Simon Zach’s estimated net worth?
Simon Zach’s estimated net worth is approximately $400,000. He built this through developmental tour prize money, his coaching work at Prague golf academies, and his earnings on the NEXT Golf Tour circuit.
How much prize money has Simon Zach earned in his career?
Zach’s career prize money is estimated at around $350,000 across his professional career. The NEXT Golf Tour Season 4 was his most lucrative season to date, with the championship offering a $250,000 total prize pool.
What is Simon Zach’s biggest career achievement?
His biggest career achievement is winning the NEXT Golf Tour Season 4 Order of Merit in February, which earned him one DP World Tour start and six HotelPlanner Tour starts — the platform for his mainstream professional career.
Has Simon Zach played on the DP World Tour?
Yes. He made his DP World Tour debut at the 2026 Nexo Championship at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, after earning an invitation through his NEXT Golf Tour Order of Merit victory.
What college did Simon Zach attend?
Zach played collegiate golf at the University of Louisville, where he was a four-year member of the Cardinals golf team. He won two collegiate events in his senior season and earned academic recognition during his time there.
