The USGA increased the prize money for this week’s U.S. Open to $22.5M, up $1M from last year and the same amount awarded at this year’s Masters. The U.S. Open winner will take home $4.5M. At the PGA Championship, there was a record $20.5M purse. Last year’s Open Championship awarded a $17M purse (GOLFWEEK, 6/17).
USGA CEO Mike Whan on equaling the purse of this year’s Masters said, “We believe we’re the best championship in the game, and we want a lot of aspects to be the best championship in the game. Where we go, how we treat the players, how we pay out, how we’re televised, and we’re proud of the fact there’s more network hours on the U.S. Open than any other major championship" (REUTERS, 6/17).
