What Is The Prize Money For The British Open?
The British Open, also known as “The Open” and “The Open Championship,” is one of the four golf majors and is the oldest golf tournament in the world. The tournament is held yearly on a rotation of courses in the United Kingdom. Historically, the tournament rotates between St. Andrews, Carnoustie Golf Links, Muirfield, the Ailsa Course at the Westin Turnberry Resort, Royal Troon Golf Club, Royal St. George’s Club, Royal Birkdale Golf Club, Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club, and Royal Liverpool Golf Club. In 2022, the British Open will be held at the Old Course at St. Andrews from July 14th to July 17th. One reason the British Open is such a big tournament is because of the prize money.
Over the years, the total prize money for the British Open has risen every single year. In 1860, the first year of the tournament, there was no purse. 1863 was the first year where there was a prize fund, but it was just $10.70. A lot has changed since 1863. In 2021, the total prize fund was $11.5 million! The purse has not been released for the upcoming British Open, but given the history, one can anticipate that it will be even higher. This article will look at the 2021 tournament and show how much of the total purse the top three golfers were able to take home.
First Place
In 2021, Colin Morikawa made his Open Championship debut and did not disappoint. Going into the final day of play, Morikawa was down by one stroke to Louis Oosthuizen. He managed to rally and come away with the victory. By coming in first place, Morikawa went home with $2,070,000. This payday made Colin Morikawa the first British Open winner to go home with over $2 million.
Second Place
Going into the final day of the 2021 British Open, Jordan Spieth was in third place. On the final day, he was able to make a surge toward the top. It was not enough to get the first place win, but he did manage to come in second place. Being able to move from third to second was significant in terms of payout. By coming in second place, Spieth was able to take home a hefty $1,198,000.
Third Place
Louis Oosthuizen had a strong showing at the 2021 British Open. He was leading the pack for the majority of play and was in first place heading into the final day. However, a few bad holes eventually resulted in a third-place finish. Although Oosthuizen may have been upset by the final results, he still went home with heavy pockets. To be exact, the third place finish gave him $768,000.
2022 British Open
The British Open tournament will be occurring on July 14th through 17th. The purse has not been released just yet, but given the history, it can be assumed that the total prize fund will exceed 2021’s 11.5 million. The golf world is looking forward to an entertaining July 14th-17th and the golfers themselves are excited for an opportunity to compete in one of the most prestigious tournaments.