SOUTHPORT, England – The reward for winning the British Open just got a little bigger… more rewarding. On Tuesday the R&A announced this year’s Champion Golfer of the Year will receive $3.2 million out of a total prize money of $17.5 million at Royal Birkdale. That’s an increase of $100,000 or $500,000 from 2025 at Royal Portrush.
The increase came a day before R&A boss Mark Darbon’s traditional Wednesday press conference. A year ago, in his first formal press briefing since taking office, Darbon expressed concern about rising prices at major championships. Regarding R&A specifically, Darbon explained that the money offered to players comes at the expense of other programs it funds, which impacts R&A’s mission to grow the community at a grassroots level.
Despite Darbon’s lawsuit, the Masters, PGA Championship and US Open have each increased their prize money payouts in 2026. Here you can see where your payouts currently are:
Master: $22.5 million/$4.5 million
PGA: $20.5 million/$3.69 million
US Open: $22.5 million/$4.5 million
However, in the long run, securing the title of Champion Golfer of the Year and owning the jug of red wine could be worth even more than the payday the winner will claim.
Public finance caution aside, the R&A has followed the trend of others in recent decades and steadily increased its prize money distributions. Here’s how much Royal Birkdale winners have overearned over time, which partly reflects the overall increase.
Year, total prize, winner’s share
1954: £3,500, £750/$1,000 (Peter Thomson)
1961: £8,500, £1,150/$1,538 (Arnold Palmer)
1965: £10,000, £1,750/$2,340 (Peter Thomson)
1971: £45,000, £5,500/$7,356 (Lee Trevino)
1976: £75,000, £7,500/$10,000 (Johnny Miller)
1983: £310,000, £40,000/$53.5k (Tom Watson)
1991: £900,000, £90,000/$120,000 (Ian Baker-Finch)
1998: £1.8m, £300,000/$401,000 (Mark O’Meara
2008: £4.2m, £750,000/$1m (Padraig Harrington)
2017: $10.25 million, $1.845 million (Jordan Spieth)
*Pre-2017 dollars calculated using the exchange rate of $1, which is equivalent to £0.75. Since 2017, the R&A has paid out prize money in US dollars.
Here are the prize money payouts for everyone who will play 72 holes this week. Check back shortly after the championship ends and we will update this list with names and individual prize money payouts.
If more than 70 professional golfers qualify for the final two rounds, additional prize money will be added. Prize money decreases by $125 per qualifying spot over 70 to a minimum of $39,450. Non-qualifiers after two rounds: Leading 10 professional golfers and ties: $12,900; the next 20 professional golfers and ties $10,750; Rest of professional golfers and draw $9,100.
Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is the subject of ongoing debate. The official name of the event, as explained in this commentary by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. However, because many golf fans in the United States continue to refer to the tournament as the “British Open” and accordingly search for news surrounding the event, Golf Digest continues to use both names in its coverage.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/british-open-2026-prize-money-payout-purse-payday-royal-birkdale
