This year the Open Championship purse will increase by $750,000 with a total prize pool of $17,750,000 up for grabs at Royal Birkdale.
The winner will take home $3.2 million, $100,000 more than Scotty Scheffler made by lifting a jug of burgundy at Royal Portrush.
Despite the increase, Open remains the lowest revenue of the four majors and will grow the least in 2026 compared to its peers.
Masters ruffled his wallet to $22.5 million earlier this year, up $1.5 million from 2025. The PGA Championship also increased by $1.5 million. $20.5 million in Aronimink. US Open increases its purse by $1 million to $22.5 million last month.
“It’s a fair guess,” R&A boss Mark Darbon joked during his press conference on Wednesday when asked if the tournament was worth the latest increase.
“No, this year we increased our prize money by three quarters of a million. We strongly believe in recognizing and rewarding players,” he explained. “They are icons of our sport. They have a disproportionate influence on the status and standing of the game.”
Darbon said he views the prize money as “part of a broader package” offered at The Open.
“We have also increased and continue to increase our investment in the player experience, and we are very proud of the fact that players continually tell us that the experience – the facilities, the services, the support – that we offer during Open Championship week sets the benchmark for the rest of golf,” he told reporters. “We intend to make sure it stays that way.
“So prize money is just one component of that comparison. At the same time, we’re trying to find a model that gets the balance right. We have a relatively unique model at R&A. We invest the revenue we get from this Open Championship back into the sport. That’s really important to us and we think we’re getting the balance right.”
The 30-year-old Australian nearly became the first player at any major championship to break 62 before bogeying the 36th hole and settling for the fifth-ever 62.
Full details of the 2026 Open Championship prize money can be found here. Here.