It’s not the most lucrative championship that will be played this year, but hoisting the Claret Jug at the conclusion of this 151st Open Championship may be perhaps the most desired moment for some of the best golfers in the world this season. The 2023 Open at Royal Liverpool — where Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods stand as the last two champions — has an even longer list of iconic winners at this venue, including Peter Thomson, Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen.
The R&A has increased its purse for this year’s event, moving up from last year’s $14 million payout at the Old Course at St. Andrews to $16.5 million, an 18% increase. Still, it’s the smallest purse of the four major championships.
- Masters: $18 million
- PGA Championship: $17.5 million
- U.S. Open: $20 million
- Open Championship: $16.5 million
“Our aim is to ensure The Open remains at the pinnacle of world golf and we have almost doubled the prize fund since 2016,” said R&A CEO Martin Slumbers. “While we are seeing substantial increases in prize money across the men’s professional game, we are fulfilling our wider obligation to the sport by elevating the AIG Women’s Open, strengthening pathways in the elite amateur game and encouraging more people around the world to play golf. We believe that getting this balance right is vital to the long-term future of the sport.”
In 2016, the total prize money paid out was $8.5 million. Because of the exchange rate, it was actually higher back in 2014 when McIlroy won his third major championship at Royal Liverpool. The purse that week was over $9.2 million.
Here’s a look at the full purse and each individual payout for the 151st Open Championship. Check out our complete Open TV schedule and coverage guide so you don’t miss a moment of the action this week, and be sure to follow Saturday’s third round with Open live leaderboard coverage.
2023 Open Championship purse, prize money
Total purse: $16.5 million
1st (Winner): $3,000,000
2nd: $1,708,000
3rd: $1,095,000
4th: $851,000
5th: $684,500
6th: $593,000
7th: $509,500
8th: $429,700
9th: $377,000
10th: $340,500
11th: $310,000
12th: $274,700
13th: $258,300
14th: $241,800
15th: $224,800
16th: $206,600
17th: $196,600
18th: $187,500
19th: $179,600
20th: $171,100
21st: $163,100
22nd: $155,000
23rd: $146,700
24th: $138,500
25th: $133,800
26th: $128,000
27th: $123,300
28th: $119,100
29th: $113,800
30th: $108,000
31st: $104,500
32nd: $99,200
33rd: $95,700
34th: $93,000
35th: $89,800
36th: $86,200
37th: $82,200
38th: $78,000
39th: $75,200
40th: $72,800
41st: $69,800
42nd: $66,400
43rd: $63,400
44th: $59,800
45th: $56,400
46th: $53,400
47th: $51,300
48th: $49,300
49th: $47,000
50th: $45,900
51st: $44,900
52nd: $44,100
53rd: $43,400
54th: $42,800
55th: $42,100
56th: $41,500
57th: $41,100
58th: $40,800
59th: $40,500
60th: $40,200
61st: $40,000
62nd: $39,800
63rd: $39,600
64th: $39,400
65th: $39,200
66th: $38,900
67th: $38,600
68th: $38,300
69th: $38,000
70th: $37,800
If more than 70 pros qualify for the final two rounds, additional prize money will be added, according to the R&A. Prize money will decrease by $125 per qualifying place above 70 to a minimum of $36,550.