The final major championship of the 2026 golf season has arrived, and the best players in the world have assembled in Southport, England, at Royal Birkdale Golf Club for the 2026 Open Championship. As has been the case for years, The Open has the lowest prize purse of any of the four majors by a substantial margin. That does not make raising the Claret Jug any less valuable, of course.
This year’s Open Championship purse is $17.5 million, a $500,000 increase from 2025, but still $3 million shy of the next-closest major purse at the PGA Championship ($20.5 million in 2026). While purses around the golf world have skyrocketed, The Open has maintained a steady approach to its purse structure, making consistent, modest increases rather than the huge leaps made by the other majors.
The allure of The Open isn’t the money; it’s the chance for players to etch their names in golf history by winning the Claret Jug at the oldest of the majors and claiming the coveted title of Champion Golfer of the Year. It is perhaps a statement from the R&A to avoid competing with the Masters and U.S. Open in a prize-money arms race and to keep The Open purse below that of a PGA Tour signature event, proving that money doesn’t make a golf tournament important.
That said, there is still a handsome check that comes with claiming Champion Golfer of the Year, as the winner will take home $3.2 million in 2026 with the top 34 on the final leaderboard all earning six-figure payouts.
2026 Open Championship prize money, purse
Total purse: $17.5 million
1st: $3,200,000
2nd: $1,842,000
3rd: $1,181,000
4th: $917,000
5th: $738,000
6th: $639,700
7th: $549,700
8th: $463,250
9th: $406,200
10th: $367,000
11th: $334,200
12th: $296,000
13th: $278,500
14th: $260,700
15th: $241,900
16th: $222,700
17th: $212,000
18th: $202,000
19th: $193,600
20th: $184,500
21st: $175,900
22nd: $167,100
23rd: $158,100
24th: $149,300
25th: $144,250
26th: $138,000
27th: $133,000
28th: $128,400
29th: $122,800
30th: $116,500
31st: $112,700
32nd: $106,900
33rd: $103,100
34th: $100,200
35th: $96,700
36th: $92,900
37th: $88,500
38th: $84,100
39th: $81,000
40th: $78,400
41st: $75,200
42nd: $71,500
43rd: $68,300
44th: $64,400
45th: $60,700
46th: $57,600
47th: $55,300
48th: $53,100
49th: $50,700
50th: $49,400
51st: $48,350
52nd: $47,500
53rd: $46,800
54th: $46,100
55th: $45,300
56th: $44,700
57th: $44,250
58th: $43,950
59th: $43,625
60th: $43,325
61st: $43,100
62nd: $42,900
63rd: $42,700
64th: $42,500
65th: $42,150
66th: $41,825
67th: $41,500
68th: $41,200
69th: $40,900
70th: $40,700
If more than 70 players make the cut, prize money will decrease by $125 per qualifying place above 70 to a minimum of $39,450.