The final major championship of the 2026 golf season has arrived, with the world’s best players gathering at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, for the 2026 British Open Championship. As has been the case for years, the Open has the lowest prize pool of the four majors by a wide margin. Of course, that doesn’t make it any less valuable to grow Claret Jugs.
The prize money for this year’s British Open Championship is $17.5 million, $500,000 more than in 2025, but still $3 million shy of the next closest major prize, the PGA Championship.$20.5 million in 2026). As golf’s funding has skyrocketed, the Open has maintained a steady approach to its funding structure, with consistently modest increases in contrast to the large jumps made by other majors.
The appeal of Open is not about money. It’s a chance for players to make their mark on golf history by winning the Claret Jug and the coveted title of Champion Golfer of the Year in the oldest major tournament. Perhaps this is a statement by the R&A to avoid competition for prize money with the Masters and the U.S. Open and keep the Open’s funding below that of the PGA Tour’s marquee event, proving that golf tournaments are not about money.
However, there is still a sizable check remaining for Champion Golfer of the Year, with the winner taking home $3.2 million in 2026 and the top 34 players on the final leaderboard all taking home six-figure prizes.
2026 British Open Champion Prize, Wallet
Total purse: $17.5 million
1st place: $3,200,000
2nd place: $1,842,000
3rd place: $1,181,000
4th place: $917,000
5th place: $738,000
6th place: $639,700
7th place: $549,700
8th place: $463,250
9th place: $406,200
10th place: $367,000
11th place: $334,200
12th place: $296,000
13th place: $278,500
14th place: $260,700
15th place: $241,900
16th place: $222,700
17th place: $212,000
18th place: $202,000
19th place: $193,600
20th place: $184,500
21st place: $175,900
22nd place: $167,100
23rd place: $158,100
24th place: $149,300
25th place: $144,250
26th place: $138,000
27th place: $133,000
28th place: $128,400
29th place: $122,800
30th place: $116,500
31st place: $112,700
32nd place: $106,900
33rd place: $103,100
34th place: $100,200
35th place: $96,700
36th place: $92,900
37th place: $88,500
38th place: $84,100
39th place: $81,000
40th place: $78,400
41st place: $75,200
42nd place: $71,500
43rd place: $68,300
44th place: $64,400
45th place: $60,700
46th place: $57,600
47th place: $55,300
48th place: $53,100
49th place: $50,700
50th place: $49,400
51st place: $48,350
52nd place: $47,500
53rd place: $46,800
54th place: $46,100
55th place: $45,300
56th place: $44,700
57th place: $44,250
58th place: $43,950
59th place: $43,625
60th place: $43,325
61st place: $43,100
62nd place: $42,900
63rd place: $42,700
64th place: $42,500
65th place: $42,150
66th place: $41,825
67th place: $41,500
68th place: $41,200
69th place: $40,900
70th place: $40,700
If more than 70 players survive, the prize money will be reduced by $125 for each qualifying position beyond 70, to a minimum of $39,450.
