2026 Open Championship Purse: Prize Money and Winner’s Share at Royal Birkdale

The 2026 Open Championship will play for a record prize fund of 17.75 million dollars at Royal Birkdale, and the winner walks away with 3.2 million dollars. That is up 750,000 dollars from the 17 million on offer in 2025, when Scottie Scheffler won at Royal Portrush. The R and A confirmed the payout during tournament week, with play running Thursday July 16 through Sunday July 19.

It is another year-over-year raise for the game’s oldest major, though the Open still hands out less money than the other three men’s majors. Here is the full breakdown of what the field is chasing this week.

How much is the 2026 Open Championship purse

The total prize fund for the 154th Open is 17.75 million dollars, a new record for the championship and a 750,000 dollar bump over the 2025 pool. The winner earns 3.2 million dollars, up from the 3.1 million Scheffler collected a year ago. Prize money is paid to every professional who tees it up, including those who miss the 36-hole cut.

The Open uses a set payout scale rather than a flat percentage split, so the money steps down cleanly from the champion through the rest of the field. The top of the sheet is where the real jump lives, with a wide gap between first and second before the numbers tighten.

2026 Open Championship prize money payout

These are the top payouts for the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale. The winner’s 3.2 million dollar share is the headline, and the drop from first to second is one of the steepest in golf.

Finish	Prize money
Winner	3,200,000 dollars
2nd	1,842,000 dollars
3rd	1,181,000 dollars

From there the payouts continue down the leaderboard, with the top 34 finishers all clearing six figures before the scale tapers toward the back of the field. The exact dollar figure at each spot depends on how many players tie, since the Open splits the combined money for tied positions evenly.

How much do players who miss the cut make

Missing the weekend at the Open still comes with a check, which separates this major from a regular Tour event where a missed cut means zero. After 36 holes the field is trimmed to the top 70 and ties, and the professionals who fall short are paid on a tiered scale.

• Leading 10 professionals and ties who miss the cut: 12,900 dollars each
• Next 20 professionals and ties: 10,750 dollars each
• Remainder of professionals who miss the cut: 9,100 dollars each

Amateurs in the field, of which there are several at Royal Birkdale, do not receive prize money and play for the low-amateur honor instead.

How the Open purse compares to the other 2026 majors

Even with the raise, the Open remains the smallest purse of the four men’s majors in 2026. The PGA Championship is the next lowest at 20.5 million dollars, so the Open sits about three million dollars behind it, with the Masters and the U.S. Open climbing higher still. The winner’s share tells a similar story, as Royal Birkdale’s 3.2 million dollar top prize trails the payday at every other major.

None of that changes what a Claret Jug is worth in the record books, and the Open’s global exemptions and world ranking points remain among the most valuable in the sport. The prize fund is only part of the reward for lifting the oldest trophy in the game.

What the payout means for betting and DFS

The purse structure quietly matters for how you play the week. Royal Birkdale cuts to the top 70 and ties, a far friendlier line than the 60-and-ties setup at the last U.S. Open, which means more of your roster survives to the weekend and more of the field cashes a check. That friendlier cut supports make-cut props and season-long DFS builds where you want bodies playing four rounds.

At the top of the board, Scheffler opened as the defending champion and favorite around +600, chasing that 3.2 million dollar winner’s share and a second straight Claret Jug. Matt Fitzpatrick has been the most-backed outright of the week, steaming from +2150 toward +1850 as money poured in on the accurate ball-strikers who fit a firm-and-fast Birkdale. The payout gap between first and second is a reminder that outright tickets are all-or-nothing at the very top, which is why many bettors spread across top-5, top-10, and top-20 markets where the prize money, and the hit rate, spread out too.

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Frequently asked questions

When will the 2026 Open Championship winner be paid

The champion is crowned Sunday July 19 at Royal Birkdale and receives the 3.2 million dollars along with the Claret Jug at the closing ceremony. Prize money for the rest of the field is distributed after the final round based on finishing position.

Does the Open Championship winner keep the Claret Jug

No. The champion holds the original Claret Jug for the year and is given a replica to keep. The trophy is returned to the R and A ahead of the following year’s championship, a tradition that dates back well over a century.

How does prize money work for tied finishes at the Open

When players tie, the Open adds together the prize money for the positions they occupy and splits it evenly. For example, a two-way tie for second combines the second and third-place money and divides it in half, so the more players who tie, the more the individual figure shifts from the listed amount.

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