Open Championship Prize Money: How Does It Compare To Other Sports?

The Champion Golfer of the Year wins $2.07m this year - but how does that compare to other sports?

Open Championship Prize Money: How Does It Compare
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The Champion Golfer of the Year wins $2.07m this year - but how does that compare to other sports?

Open Championship Prize Money: How Does It Compare To Other Sports?

This year's Open Championship features the largest winner's cheque in history, with the Champion Golfer of the Year taking home more than $2m for the first time ever.

Last time out, Shane Lowry took home $1.935m, which was up on the $1.89 million won by Francesco Molinari at Carnoustie in 2018 and the $1.53 million won by Henrik Stenson in 2016 at Troon.

How does this compare to other sports?

Whilst sports like football, F1, cricket and rugby pay out salaries rather than for individual events, some comparisons between sports can still be made.

Prize money for the Open is dwarfed by horse racing’s Dubai World Cup Night, in which the winning jockey receives a cool $7.2m.

The Grand National is much less lucrative, with the winner claiming only £375,000.

When it comes to poker, Triton Super High Roller Series No Limit Hold’em dwarfs most sports with a prize pool of around $65 million.

2019 champion John Cynn won $20.56m.

In tennis, the Men’s and Ladies’ Wimbledon Champions received £1.7m in 2021, well down on the £2.35m first prize in 2019.

Four days of work at the Open outweighs three weeks at the Tour de France, where the winning cyclist will secure €500,000.

2021 World Snooker Champion Mark Selby won £500,000 for his victory; exactly the same as what Gerwyn Price received for winning the PDC Darts World Title.

How does this compare to other sports?

Prize money for individual winner:

The Open Championship: $2.07m

Wimbledon: £1.7m ($2.35m)

Tour de France: €500,000 ($592,000)

Grand National: £375,000 ($519m)

Snooker World Championship: £500,000 ($692m)

PDC Darts World Championship: £500,000 ($692m)

World Pool Championship: $50,000

World Badminton Tour Finals winner: $120,000

Winning a World Surf League Event: $100,000

Floyd Mayweather defeating Conor McGregor in 2017: $275m

Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV