The Open Championship heads to Royal Birkdale in 2026 for the 154th running of the sport’s oldest major. Jordan Spieth won the Claret Jug last time the tournament was held on Merseyside, in 2017 for the 146th Open. The American netted a tidy $1.8 million alongside his third major championship, out of a total purse of $10.2 million.
Such is the case with prize money, there appears to be an onus on the sport’s governing bodies to increase the payout each year. In 2025 at The Open at Portrush, it stayed at $17 million. Scheffler won $3,100,000 for becoming Champion Golfer of the Year.
So, with the Open Championship purse increasing by $7 million since the last time it was held at Royal Birkdale, can we expect it to increase once again in 2026?
There has been an increase in the Open prize money for 2026, but not as much as you might think. The fund stands at $17.75 million, and the winner will receive $3,200,000.
If more than 70 professional golfers qualify for the final two rounds, additional prize money will be added. Prize money will decrease by $125 per qualifying place above 70 to a minimum of $39,450.
In terms of non-qualifiers after two rounds, the leading 10 professional golfers and ties get $12,900; the next 20 professional golfers and ties get $10,750, and the remainder of professional golfers and ties $9,100.
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While we await the full breakdown after the winner is crowned, take a look below at the historical payouts at The Open:
The Open Championship 2025 prize money: Previous purses and winners:
2025
1st – Scottie Schefler – $3,100,000
2 – Harris English – $1,759,000
3 – Chris Gotterup – $1,128,000
T4 – Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, Haotong Li – $730,667
T7 – Robert MacIntyre, Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy – $451,833
T10 – Bryson DeChambeau, Corey Conners, Brian Harman, Russell Henley – $304,650
2024
Purse: $17,000,000
Winner: $3,100,000 (Xander Schauffele)
2023
Purse: $16,500,000
Winner: $3,000,000 (Brian Harman)
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2022
Purse: $14,000,000
Winner: $2,500,000 (Cameron Smith)
2021
Purse: $11,500,000
Winner: $2,070,000 (Collin Morikawa)
2019
Purse: $10,750,000
Winner: $1,935,000 (Shane Lowry)
2018
Purse: $10,500,000
Winner: $1,890,000 (Francesco Molinari)
2017
Purse: $10,250,000
Winner: $1,845,000 (Jordan Spieth)
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What do you make of The Open Championship prize money 2026 figure? Tell NCG on X!
