The Open raises purse to $17.5 million at Royal Birkdale
The R&A has lifted the 2026 Open Championship prize fund by $500,000, with $3.2 million set aside for the winner.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
The Champion Golfer of the Year will bank $3.2 million at the 2026 Open Championship, according to CBS Sports, as the R&A raises the total purse to $17.5 million for this year’s major at Royal Birkdale.
The tournament, being played in Southport, England, remains the smallest-paying of golf’s four majors, CBS Sports reported. The new prize fund is up $500,000 from 2025, but still sits $3 million behind the PGA Championship’s reported $20.5 million purse for 2026.
The R&A’s bump is modest compared with the sharper prize-money increases seen elsewhere in golf, according to CBS Sports. The Open’s selling point remains its history, the Claret Jug and the title of Champion Golfer of the Year, even with plenty of cash waiting at the finish.
The payout is still tidy at the top. CBS Sports reported that the first seven finishers will each earn at least $500,000, while the top 34 players on the final leaderboard are due six-figure checks.
Top 10 payouts at the 2026 Open Championship
- 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
The next group keeps the six-figure run going. The reported payouts include $334,200 for 11th, $296,000 for 12th, $278,500 for 13th, $260,700 for 14th and $241,900 for 15th.
From there, the listed prize money continues with $222,700 for 16th, $212,000 for 17th, $202,000 for 18th, $193,600 for 19th and $184,500 for 20th, according to CBS Sports.
Players finishing 21st through 34th are also set to clear six figures. The payouts in that band run from $175,900 for 21st down to $100,200 for 34th.
How the lower places pay
The published payout list continues through 70th place. CBS Sports reported that 35th is worth $96,700, 40th pays $78,400, 50th earns $49,400, 60th gets $43,325 and 70th receives $40,700.
If more than 70 players make the cut, CBS Sports reported that the prize money drops by $125 for each qualifying place above 70, with a floor of $39,450.
The Open is the oldest of golf’s majors, and this year’s edition brings the field back to England at Royal Birkdale. The money has climbed again, but the biggest prize on offer remains the Claret Jug.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.