British Open 2026 purse, payout breakdown: How much prize money does the winner make? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Open Championship is one of the most prestigious events in sports, as the oldest golf tournament in the world has been in play since 1860.
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Golfers don’t necessarily play in the Open Championship just for the money, but the payout is certainly a motivating factor in their performance. While the Open Championship doesn’t offer the biggest check in the sport, it is paired with a noteworthy trophy in the Claret Jug.
With 156 players competing in the 2026 Open Championship, here’s a breakdown of how much each player will earn for the event.
MORE: Explaining the British Open’s Claret Jug
British Open tournament purse 2026
The R&A is providing a purse of $17 million for participants at the 2026 Open Championship, the same amount as last year. The Open Championship consistently offers the smallest purse of the four golf majors, as the other three offer a purse of at least $20 million.
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The purse will be divided among the golfers who make the cut after the first two rounds, as the amount each golfer makes will depend on where they finish on the leaderboard.
MORE: Explaining the rules for links golf
How much does the British Open winner get?
The British Open winner will earn $3.1 million for taking home the Claret Jug, the same amount that was up for grabs last year when Scottie Scheffler took home the title. That number is slightly lower but still pretty in line with the winnings of the biggest majors and PGA Tour tournaments on the year.
MORE: Every British Open winner by year
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British Open tournament payouts 2026
|
Position |
Payout |
|
1 |
$3,100,000 |
|
2 |
$1,759,000 |
|
3 |
$1,128,000 |
|
4 |
$876,000 |
|
5 |
$705,000 |
|
6 |
$611,000 |
|
7 |
$525,000 |
|
8 |
$442,500 |
|
9 |
$388,000 |
|
10 |
$350,600 |
|
11 |
$319,200 |
|
12 |
$282,800 |
|
13 |
$266,000 |
|
14 |
$249,000 |
|
15 |
$231,000 |
|
16 |
$212,700 |
|
17 |
$202,400 |
|
18 |
$193,000 |
|
19 |
$184,900 |
|
20 |
$176,200 |
|
21 |
$168,000 |
|
22 |
$159,600 |
|
23 |
$151,000 |
|
24 |
$142,600 |
|
25 |
$137,800 |
|
26 |
$131,800 |
|
27 |
$127,000 |
|
28 |
$122,600 |
|
29 |
$117,300 |
|
30 |
$111,200 |
|
36 |
$88,700 |
|
37 |
$84,600 |
|
38 |
$80,300 |
|
39 |
$77,400 |
|
40 |
$74,900 |
|
41 |
$71,800 |
|
42 |
$68,300 |
|
43 |
$65,200 |
|
44 |
$61,500 |
|
45 |
$58,000 |
|
46 |
$55,000 |
|
47 |
$52,800 |
|
48 |
$50,700 |
|
49 |
$48,400 |
|
50 |
$47,200 |
|
51 |
$46,200 |
|
52 |
$45,400 |
|
53 |
$44,700 |
|
54 |
$44,000 |
|
55 |
$43,300 |
|
56 |
$42,700 |
|
57 |
$42,300 |
|
58 |
$42,000 |
|
59 |
$41,700 |
|
60 |
$41,400 |
|
61 |
$41,200 |
|
62 |
$41,000 |
|
63 |
$40,800 |
|
64 |
$40,600 |
|
65 |
$40,300 |
|
66 |
$40,000 |
|
67 |
$39,700 |
|
68 |
$39,400 |
|
69 |
$39,100 |
|
70 |
$38,900 |
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