British Open: R&A offering record $17 million purse at Royal Troon, $3.1 million for Claret Jug winner
The British Open is offering a record purse this year for whoever claims the Claret Jug come Sunday afternoon, though it’s still far less than the other three major championships offer.
The R&A announced on Monday that the winner of this year’s British Open at Royal Troon will receive $3.1 million — which is part of a $17 million purse. The total purse is up $500,000 from last year, when Brian Harman earned $3 million for his six-shot win at Royal Liverpool.
The golfer that finishes second this week will earn about $1.76 million. The third-place finisher will earn more than $1 million, too.
While this is a record purse for the event, it is still significantly less than the other major championships and many regular PGA Tour events. That, R&A CEO Martin Slumbers said in a statement, is done in an effort to "strike a balance" between quick climbing purses and opting to try and develop the game across the world.
“We have to make choices if we want to continue to build on the significant growth in participation that is essential for golf’s future,” Slumbers said, via The Associated Press. “We remain concerned about the impact substantial increases in men’s professional prize money are having on the perception of the sport and its long-term financial sustainability.
“We are determined to act with the interests of the global game in mind as we pursue our goal of ensuring golf continues to thrive in 50 years’ time.”
The Players Championship offers the largest with a $25 million prize pool, which allowed Scottie Scheffler to take home $4.5 million for his win there in March. Bryson DeChambeau won $4.3 million for his U.S. Open win last month, which was part of a record $21.5 million purse. Scheffler also won $3.6 million for his win at the Masters, which had a $20 million purse, and Xander Schauffele won $3.3 million at the PGA Championship as part of an $18.5 million purse.
Signature events on the PGA Tour offer $20 million purses. The first two FedExCup Playoffs events will have $20 million purses, too, though it’s unclear what will be offered at the Tour Championship.
The British Open will kick off on Thursday from Royal Troon in Scotland. This marks the first time since 2016 that the course has hosted the major championship. Scheffler, the top-ranked golfer in the world, was the favorite to win the tournament on BetMGM as of Monday afternoon.
