British Open 2022: R&A announces prize money increase

One week before the start of the British Open 2022 in St. Andrews, the prize money for the 150th edition of the tournament was announced. The winner of this year’s Open will be able to take home over two million pounds for the first time, in addition to the Claret Jug. The total prize money of the last major in the calendar year will be increased by 22 per cent.

In concrete terms, this means a jump from 12.5 to 14 million US dollars in prize money, with which the R&A, the organising association of the British Open 2022, wants to do justice to the increased prize money last year.

“There have been significant changes in prize money over the last year. We have therefore increased the prize fund by 22% which means that the prize money has increased by more than 60% since 2016,” Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A said.

Competitive bidding by the organisers

By comparison, the US Masters and PGA Championship had both increased prize money to $15 million before this year’s editions. The US Open is the men’s major with the highest prize money at 17.5 million dollars, winner Matt Fitzpatrick received over three million dollars. The Players Championship, the flagship tournament of the PGA Tour, paid out 20 million dollars this year and 25 million dollars next year.

The drastic price increase is probably also linked to the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series, which lures stars to its tour with high sign-up bonuses and awards an additional 25 million dollars per tournament.

“We have made this substantial investment while balancing our wider commitments to developing golf at all levels around the world and to continuing to elevate the AIG Women’s Open.” Last year, the Association, together with the main sponsor, provided record prize money for the Women’s Major, which has since been surpassed by the US Women’s Open.

2022 British Open prize money

$2,500,000
$1,455,000
$933,000
$725,000
$583,000
$505,000
$434,000
$366,000
$321,000
$290,000
$264,000
$234,000
$220,000
$206,000
$191,500
$176,000
$167,500
$159,750
$153,000
$145,750
$139,000
$132,000
$125,000
$118,000
$114,000
$109,000
$105,000
$101,500
$97,000
$92,000
$89,000
$84,500
$81,500
$79,250
$76,500
$73,500
$70,000
$66,500
$64,000
$62,000
$59,500
$56,500
$54,000
$51,000
$48,000
$45,500
$43,700
$42,000
$40,000
$39,100
$38,200
$37,600
$37,000
$36,500
$35,900
$35,400
$35,000
$34,750
$34,500
$34,250
$34,000
$33,900
$33,750
$33,600
$33,400
$33,100
$32,900
$32,600
$32,400
$32,200