The 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale delivered a record-breaking prize fund, with the R&A increasing the total purse to $17.75 million, the largest in tournament history. Champion Ryan Fox took home a career-best $3.2 millionafter securing his maiden Claret Jug, while every golfer who made the cut earned a share of the historic payout.
Although the winner’s cheque remains lower than those offered at the Masters and U.S. Open, R&A chief executive Mark Darbon said the organization remains committed to balancing prize money with long-term investment in growing the game around the world.
2026 Open Championship Prize Money Payout
| Position | Player(s) | Score | Prize Money |
| Winner | Ryan Fox | -10 | $3,200,000 |
| 2 | Cameron Young | -9 | $1,842,000 |
| 3 | Sam Burns | -8 | $1,181,000 |
| T4 | Scottie Scheffler | -7 | $827,500 |
| T4 | Tommy Fleetwood | -7 | $827,500 |
| T6 | Lucas Herbert | -6 | $550,883 |
| T6 | Casey Jarvis | -6 | $550,883 |
| T6 | Si Woo Kim | -6 | $550,883 |
| T9 | Ryan Gerard | -5 | $336,380 |
| T9 | Ludvig Åberg | -5 | $336,380 |
| T9 | Adam Scott | -5 | $336,380 |
| T9 | Russell Henley | -5 | $336,380 |
| T9 | Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen | -5 | $336,380 |
| T14 | Corey Conners | -4 | $234,325 |
| T14 | Sungjae Im | -4 | $234,325 |
| T14 | Hideki Matsuyama | -4 | $234,325 |
| T14 | Bryson DeChambeau | -4 | $234,325 |
| T18 | Rickie Fowler | -3 | $164,575 |
| T18 | Chris Gotterup | -3 | $164,575 |
| T18 | Bud Cauley | -3 | $164,575 |
| T18 | Marco Penge | -3 | $164,575 |
| T18 | Alex Noren | -3 | $164,575 |
| T18 | Collin Morikawa | -3 | $164,575 |
| T18 | Kristoffer Reitan | -3 | $164,575 |
| T18 | Daniel Brown | -3 | $164,575 |
| T18 | Jordan Smith | -3 | $164,575 |
| T18 | Xander Schauffele | -3 | $164,575 |
| T28 | John Parry | -2 | $102,817 |
| T28 | Victor Perez | -2 | $102,817 |
| T28 | Patrick Cantlay | -2 | $102,817 |
| T28 | Brooks Koepka | -2 | $102,817 |
| T28 | Pierceson Coody | -2 | $102,817 |
| T28 | Robert MacIntyre | -2 | $102,817 |
| T28 | Jacob Bridgeman | -2 | $102,817 |
| T28 | Max Homa | -2 | $102,817 |
| T28 | Shane Lowry | -2 | $102,817 |
| T28 | Cameron John | -2 | $102,817 |
| T28 | Kazuma Kobori | -2 | $102,817 |
| T28 | Jackson Suber | -2 | $102,817 |
| T40 | Thomas Detry | -1 | $69,750 |
| T40 | J.J. Spaun | -1 | $69,750 |
| T40 | Kurt Kitayama | -1 | $69,750 |
| T40 | Michael Thorbjornsen | -1 | $69,750 |
| T40 | Matt Wallace | -1 | $69,750 |
| T40 | Rory McIlroy | -1 | $69,750 |
| T46 | Matthew Southgate | E | $51,707 |
| T46 | Eugenio Chacarra | E | $51,707 |
| T46 | Patrick Reed | E | $51,707 |
| T46 | Francesco Molinari | E | $51,707 |
| T46 | Hennie du Plessis | E | $51,707 |
| T46 | Josele Ballester | E | $51,707 |
| T46 | Jon Rahm | E | $51,707 |
| T53 | Ryo Hisatsune | +1 | $45,183 |
| T53 | Michael Brennan | +1 | $45,183 |
| T53 | Shaun Norris | +1 | $45,183 |
| T53 | Sahith Theegala | +1 | $45,183 |
| T53 | Alex Smalley | +1 | $45,183 |
| T53 | Eric Cole | +1 | $45,183 |
| T59 | Ben Griffin | +2 | $43,025 |
| T59 | Aldrich Potgieter | +2 | $43,025 |
| T59 | Min Woo Lee | +2 | $43,025 |
| T59 | Nick Taylor | +2 | $43,025 |
| T59 | Naoyuki Kataoka | +2 | $43,025 |
| T59 | Johnny Keefer | +2 | $43,025 |
| T65 | Peter Uihlein | +3 | $41,988 |
| T65 | Justin Thomas | +3 | $41,988 |
| T67 | Nico Echavarria | +4 | $41,350 |
| T67 | Sepp Straka | +4 | $41,350 |
| T69 | Andy Sullivan | +5 | $40,800 |
| T69 | Tyrrell Hatton | +5 | $40,800 |
| T71 | Laurie Canter | +6 | $40,450 |
| T71 | MJ Daffue | +6 | $40,450 |
| T71 | Alex Fitzpatrick | +6 | $40,450 |
| T74 | Keegan Bradley | +7 | $40,075 |
| T74 | Kazuki Higa | +7 | $40,075 |
| T74 | Marcus Plunkett | +7 | $40,075 |
| 77 | Jack McDonald | +8 | $39,825 |
| 78 | Jesper Svensson | +9 | $39,700 |
Prize money for players who missed the cut
- Leading 10 professionals and ties: $12,900
- Next 20 professionals and ties: $10,750
- Remaining professionals and ties: $9,100
The 2026 edition marked another increase in prize money, with the overall purse rising from $17 million in 2025 to $17.75 million, while the winner’s share increased from $3.1 million to $3.2 million. Ryan Fox’s victory earned him the biggest payday of his career, while every player who made the weekend at Royal Birkdale secured a share of the record purse.