The Open payouts 2026 rise $750,000 to a record purse
The Open payouts 2026 total a record $17.75 million at Royal Birkdale after the R&A raised the purse by $750,000 from last year. The champion golfer of the year earns $3.2 million—up $100,000 from Scottie Scheffler's 2025 win—though The Open remains the lowest-paying purse among the four men's majors.
Key Takeaways
- The R&A lifted the 2026 Open purse by $750,000 to a record $17.75 million at Royal Birkdale.
- The winner's share is $3.2 million, $100,000 more than Scottie Scheffler earned at Royal Portrush in 2025.
- Despite the raise, The Open still trails the Masters, U.S. Open, and PGA Championship on total prize money.
- R&A chief Mark Darbon framed the bump as part of a broader player package while funding grassroots golf.
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How much are the Open payouts 2026 for the winner?
According to Golf Channel, the R&A set a $17,750,000 prize pool for the 2026 Open Championship, up three-quarters of a million dollars year over year.
The champion takes home $3.2 million. That is a $100,000 uptick from what Scheffler collected after lifting the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush in 2025.
Golf Digest reported the same headline figures ahead of play at Southport, England, underscoring that both the overall purse and the winner's check are records for The Open.
How do the Open payouts 2026 compare with other majors?
Even after the increase, The Open remains the lowest purse among men's majors. Golf Channel noted the 2026 boost was also the smallest among the four majors this season.
The Masters and the U.S. Open each offered $22.5 million purses in 2026, with $4.5 million to the winner. The PGA Championship rose to $20.5 million, paying its champion $3.69 million.
Context helps: when Jordan Spieth won at Royal Birkdale in 2017, the purse was $10.25 million and the winner earned $1.845 million—showing how far The Open payouts 2026 have climbed on the same links.
Why did the R&A keep the increase modest?
Asked whether the smaller raise was a deliberate stand, R&A chief executive Mark Darbon joked that was "a fair assumption," then stressed the governing body still wants to reward "the icons of our sport."
Darbon said prize money is "part of a broader package," citing investment in player facilities and support that competitors praise as a benchmark. He also emphasized the R&A's model of ploughing Open proceeds back into growing the game at grassroots level.
"We're trying to find a model that gets the balance right," he told reporters, framing the $750,000 rise as intentional rather than a race to match U.S. majors.