Staggering US Open winner’s prize money is now $1.3m more than Tiger Woods’ three titles combined

The 2026 US Open has a record-breaking prize fund up for grabs on Sunday night.

Wyndham Clark is closing in on his second major title at Shinnecock Hills, holding a six-shot lead over the field heading into the final round.

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Clark won the 2023 US Open at LA Country Club and in doing so, scooped the $3.6million winner’s cheque.

But as prize money continues to spiral in the men’s professional game, that amount is now small change compared to this year’s winnings.

Whoever secures glory in Long Island will take home a staggering $4.5m.

The total purse has also increased to $22.5m meaning second will earn $2.43m and third will win $1.53m.

For context, when Dustin Johnson won at Oakmont in 2016, he received $1.8m while Tiger Woods’ three US Open titles were worth $3.15m combined!

The incredible numbers trickle all the way down the leaderboard as tenth still receives over half a million dollars and 38th will earn over $100k.

Whoever ends up finishing 67th, the last place of the players who made the weekend, will earn a consolation prize of $42,863.

And the 69 professionals who missed the cut will still receive $10,000.

The US Open is on par with the Masters for the most lucrative major with the PGA Championship just behind and The Open worth far less.

The Players Championship continues to boast the highest purse in the regular season while the play-off finale at the Tour Championship is worth $40m.

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Next week’s Travelers Championship is a Signature Event on the PGA Tour and will have a purse of $20m.

This year’s fourth and final major is fast approaching at The Open at Royal Birkdale will be worth around $17m.

JJ Spaun won $4.3m for his US Open victory at Oakmont last year.

Spaun holed a stunning 65-foot birdie on the final hole to secure a two-shot win over Robert MacIntyre and claim his maiden major title last year.

He said: “The journey has been tough at times, but I stuck at it and gave my very best. Finally, that stubbornness, that refusal to lie down, has been rewarded.

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“I never thought I would be here holding this trophy. I’ve obviously had aspirations and dreams but I never knew what my ceiling was, never knew how good I could be. 

“I’m just proud I’ve been resilient in my career and have pushed through a lot of things. 

“I’m just trying to be the best golfer I can be.

“I’m super grateful to have won the championship and to be given this experience

“It’s something I’ll never forget obviously for the rest of my life. I guess I’m a part of history now.”