Harry How/Getty Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark walk on the sixth green during the final round of the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 18, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Wyndham Clark, the winner of the 123rd U.S. Open earned $3.6 million payday as part of a $20 million purse of prize money for the 2023 golf tournament, according to the USGA. The tournament is being played at the Los Angeles Country Club in California from June 15 to June 18.
Clark entered the final round tied for first and held a lead through the front nine holes of the final round, with Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Scottie Scheffler trying to stay in contention.
Clark held on to win his first major championship by one stroke over McIlroy, who was attempting to win his fifth. Scheffler finished third. Clark finished at -10, with McIlroy at -9 and Scheffler at -7. Fowler and Cameron Smith tied at -6, with Tommy Fleetwood and Min Woo Lee at -5.
In 2022, U.S. Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick took home $3.15 million from a purse that totaled $17.5 million, according to the USGA. In 2021, U.S. Open winner Jon Rahm took home a check for $2.25 million from a $12.5 million purse. According to the USGA, the 2023 payout will be a record for the tournament.
US Open 2023 Purse
The USGA released the following purse distribution for the top 50 players in the 2023 U.S. Open:
| PLACE | PRIZE MONEY |
| 1st | $3,600,000 |
| 2nd | $2,160,000 |
| 3rd | $1,413,430 |
| 4th | $990,867 |
| 5th | $825,297 |
| 6th | $731,779 |
| 7th | $659,727 |
| 8th | $590,864 |
| 9th | $534,753 |
| 10th | $491,182 |
| 11th | $448,249 |
| 12th | $414,455 |
| 13th | $386,187 |
| 14th | $356,431 |
| 15th | $330,926 |
| 16th | $309,672 |
| 17th | $292,669 |
| 18th | $275,665 |
| 19th | $258,662 |
| 20th | $241,659 |
| 21st | $226,993 |
| 22nd | $212,328 |
| 23rd | $198,088 |
| 24th | $184,910 |
| 25th | $173,433 |
| 26th | $163,656 |
| 27th | $156,217 |
| 28th | $149,628 |
| 29th | $143,252 |
| 30th | $136,876 |
| 31st | $130,500 |
| 32nd | $124,124 |
| 33rd | $117,747 |
| 34th | $112,009 |
| 35th | $107,333 |
| 36th | $102,657 |
| 37th | $98,194 |
| 38th | $93,943 |
| 39th | $89,692 |
| 40th | $85,441 |
| 41st | $81,190 |
| 42nd | $76,939 |
| 43rd | $72,689 |
| 44th | $68,438 |
| 45th | $64,187 |
| 46th | $60,361 |
| 47th | $56,535 |
| 48th | $52,922 |
| 49th | $50,797 |
| 50th | $48,671 |
The U.S. Open Has the Highest Purse Among the 4 Major Golf Tournaments
GettyRory McIlroy at the U.S. Open in 2023.
The U.S. Open cuts the largest check to its winner out of the four major golf championships. In 2023, The Masters winner Jon Rahm won a prize of $3.24 million out of a purse of $18 million, according to CBS Sports. PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka took home a $3.15 million check out of a $17.5 million payout pool.
The purse and champion’s payday for The Open Championship in 2023 has not been announced yet. But in 2022, Open champion Cameron Smith won $2.5 million out of a $14 million purse, according to CBS Sports. The Open is set to be played from July 20 to July 23 at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in England.
According to Golf Digest, the emergence of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, along with new media deals for the PGA, has led to record purses for both PGA Tour events and the major championships in 2023.
Golf Digest wrote, “The vault in financials remains jarring. For context, the PGA Tour’s $563 million projected total is more than double the tour’s total purse just 10 years ago ($260 million in 2013) and more than $500 million from 1993 ($53,203,611). For those wondering, the tour’s purse records date back to 1938, which saw a total purse of $158,000 spread across 38 events (the equivalent of $3,352,401.42 in 2023 dollars).”
The PGA Tour golfers head to Connecticut for the Travelers Championship on June 22 following the 2023 U.S. Open. The purse for the Travelers will be $20 million, with the winner taking home a payout of $3.6 million, according to the PGA Tour.
Two weeks before the U.S. Open, LIV and the PGA Tour announced a deal to settle ongoing lawsuits between the two golf organizations. The deal includes a pathway for LIV golfers to return to the tour and a large investment from the Saudi Public Investment Fund, according to The New York Times.
