AR
The reward for winning the Open Championship just got a little more … rewardier. On Tuesday, the R&A announced that this year’s “champion golfer of the year” will receive $3.2 million from an overall prize money payout at Royal Birkdale of $17.5 million. That’s a bump of $100,000 and $500,000, respectively, from 2025 at Royal Portrush.
The increase came a day ahead of the traditional Wednesday press conference from R&A chief executive Mark Darbon. A year ago, in his first formal presser since taking over the reins of the governing body, Darbon noted a concern about the rising purses in major championships. For the R&A in particular, Darbon explained that the money offered to players comes at the expense of other programs that it funds, impacting the R&A’s mission of growing the game at a grassroots level.
Despite Darbon’s lament, the Masters, PGA Championship and U.S. Open each increased their prize money payouts in 2026. Here’s where their paydays are right now:
Masters: $22.5 million/$4.5 million
PGA: $20.5 million/$3.69 million
U.S. Open: $22.5 million/$4.5 million
Mind you, claiming the moniker “champion golfer of the year” and having possession of the Claret Jug might be worth even more in the long run than the payday the winner will claim.
Its public fiscal caution aside, the R&A has followed the trend of others with steady increases in its prize money payouts over the last few decades. Here’s how much the winners at Royal Birkdale overearned over time, in part mirroring the overall rise.
Year, Overall Purse, Winner’s Share
1954: £3,500, £750/$1,000 (Peter Thomson)
1961: £8,500, £1,150/$1,538 (Arnold Palmer)
1965: £10,000, £1,750/$2,340 (Peter Thomson)
1971: £45,000, £5,500/$7,356 (Lee Trevino)
1976: £75,000, £7,500/$10K (Johnny Miller)
1983: £310,000, £40,000/$53.5K (Tom Watson)
1991: £900,000, £90,000/$120K (Ian Baker-Finch)
1998: £1.8 million, £300,000/$401K (Mark O’Meara
2008: £4.2 million, £750,000/$1M (Padraig Harrington)
2017: $10.25 million, $1.845 million (Jordan Spieth)
*Dollars before 2017 were figured using an exchange rate of $1 equal to £0.75. The R&A began paying prize money in American dollars in 2017.
Here’s the prize money payouts for everybody who will play 72 holes this week. Come back shortly after the championship ends, and we’ll update this list with names and individual prize money payouts.
Win: $3,200,000
2: $1,842,000
3: $1,181,000
4: $917,000
5: $738,000
6: $639,700
7: $549,700
8: $463,250
9: $406,200
10: $367,000
11: $334,200
12: $296,000
13: $278,500
14: $260,700
15: $241,900
16: $222,700
17: $212,000
18: $202,000
19: $193,600
20: $184,500
21: $175,900
22: $167,100
23: $158,100
24: $149,300
25: $144,250
26: $138,000
27: $133,000
28: $128,400
29: $122,800
30: $116,500
31: $112,700
32: $106,900
33: $103,100
34: $100,200
35: $96,700:
36: $92,900
37: $88,500
38: $84,100
39: $81,000
40: $78,400
41: $75,200
42: $71,500
43: $68,300
44: $64,400
45: $60,700
46: $57,600
47: $55,300
48: $53,100
49: $50,700
50: $49,400
51: $48,350
52: $47,500
53: $46,800
54: $46,100
55: $45,300
56: $44,700
57: $44,250
58: $43,950
59: $43,625
60: $43,325
61: $43,100
62: $42,900
63: $42,700
64: $42,500
65: $42,150
66: $41,825
67: $41,500
68: $41,200
69: $40,900
70: $40,700
If more than 70 professional golfers qualify for the final two rounds, additional prize money will be added. Prize money will decrease by USD 125 per qualifying place above 70 to a minimum of USD 39,450. Non-qualifiers after two rounds: Leading 10 professional golfers and ties USD 12,900; next 20 professional golfers and ties USD 10,750; remainder of professional golfers and ties USD 9,100.
• • •
Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilise both names in its coverage.
MORE GOLF DIGEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE
Everything you need to know about this year’s major at Royal Birkdale
The Open Championship is not called “The British”
After hitting the opening tee shot at the U.S. Open, James Nicholas qualifies
Here’s everybody in the field (so far) at Royal Birkdale
Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media
Main Image: Kate McShane/R&A
