The 2026 US Open Championship at Shinnecock Hills will distribute a record purse of $22.5 million. The champion will take $4.5 million, a figure never seen before in the history of the US major, while the runner-up will pocket $2.43 million and third place will exceed $1.5 million.
The USGA has once again raised the stakes. Last year, at Oakmont, the US Open distributed $21.5 million and J.J. Spaun took $4.3 million for his victory. At Shinnecock Hills the increase is $1 million in the total purse and $200,000 on the winner’s cheque.
It’s not a gigantic rise in percentage terms, but it is a statement of intent. The US Open reaches $22.5 million and places itself on a par with the Masters as the major with the largest prize fund in golf. The USGA championship wants to remain a benchmark even beyond the ropes.
The distribution again rewards the top of the leaderboard very noticeably. Winning at Shinnecock Hills will mean earning $4.5 million; finishing second, $2.43 million; and finishing third, $1,532,530. Even the tenth-placed player will receive $532,572 and the twentieth, $262,022.
Additionally, the 69 professionals who missed the cut will receive $10,000 each. The purse allocated to those who complete the four rounds amounts to $21.81 million, while the remaining $690,000 corresponds to those players who did not make the weekend.
La evolución de la bolsa en los últimos años
The growth of the US Open has been spectacular in a very short period. In 2021, when Jon Rahm won at Torrey Pines, the total purse was $12.5 million and the champion took $2.25 million. Five years later, the tournament is distributing $10 million more and the winner earns exactly double.
- 2021: $12.5 million; $2.25 million for the champion.
- 2022: $17.5 million; $3.15 million for Matt Fitzpatrick.
- 2023: $20 million; $3.6 million for Wyndham Clark.
- 2024: $21.5 million; $4.3 million for Bryson DeChambeau.
- 2025: $21.5 million; $4.3 million for J.J. Spaun.
- 2026: $22.5 million; $4.5 million for the champion.
The comparison with the US Open’s last visit to Shinnecock Hills is even more striking. In 2018, when Brooks Koepka won his second consecutive major, the purse was $12 million and the champion’s cheque reached $2.16 million. Eight years later, the tournament is distributing 87.5 percent more money and the future winner will be paid more than double: $2.34 million more than Koepka.
Reparto de premios del US Open 2026
| Position | Prize |
| 1 | $4,500,000 |
| 2 | $2,430,000 |
| 3 | $1,532,530 |
| 4 | $1,074,363 |
| 5 | $894,841 |
| 6 | $793,443 |
| 7 | $715,320 |
| 8 | $640,654 |
| 9 | $579,815 |
| 10 | $532,572 |
| 11 | $486,021 |
| 12 | $449,379 |
| 13 | $418,729 |
| 14 | $386,466 |
| 15 | $358,812 |
| 16 | $335,767 |
| 17 | $317,331 |
| 18 | $298,895 |
| 19 | $280,459 |
| 20 | $262,022 |
| 21 | $246,121 |
| 22 | $230,220 |
| 23 | $214,780 |
| 24 | $200,492 |
| 25 | $188,048 |
| 26 | $177,447 |
| 27 | $169,381 |
| 28 | $162,237 |
| 29 | $155,324 |
| 30 | $148,410 |
| 31 | $141,497 |
| 32 | $134,583 |
| 33 | $127,669 |
| 34 | $121,447 |
| 35 | $116,377 |
| 36 | $111,307 |
| 37 | $106,468 |
| 38 | $101,859 |
| 39 | $97,250 |
| 40 | $92,641 |
| 41 | $88,032 |
| 42 | $83,423 |
| 43 | $78,814 |
| 44 | $74,205 |
| 45 | $69,596 |
| 46 | $65,448 |
| 47 | $61,300 |
| 48 | $57,382 |
| 49 | $55,077 |
| 50 | $52,773 |
| 51 | $51,390 |
| 52 | $50,238 |
| 53 | $49,316 |
| 54 | $48,855 |
| 55 | $48,394 |
| 56 | $47,933 |
| 57 | $47,472 |
| 58 | $47,012 |
| 59 | $46,551 |
| 60 | $46,090 |
| 61 | $45,629 |
| 62 | $45,168 |
| 63 | $44,707 |
| 64 | $44,246 |
| 65 | $43,785 |
| 66 | $43,324 |
| 67 | $42,863 |
Shinnecock Hills not only contests one of the most difficult trophies to win on the planet. This Sunday the champion will also collect the largest cheque in US Open history.
