US Open Prize Money Has Hit Record Levels... But How Much Take-Home Pay Does The Winner Actually See?

There is more money than ever on offer at the US Open in 2026 after USGA CEO Mike Whan revealed an overall tournament purse of $22.5 million on Wednesday.

That number has increased by a full $1 million since Oakmont last year and now matches The Masters' previous-record offering for a men's Major.

It is also almost double the number in play at Shinnecock Hills when Brooks Koepka triumphed during 2018. Back then, the total purse was $12 million with $2.16 million going the way of Koepka.

Times have changed significantly since, with the winner's check at this year's US Open sitting at an extraordinary $4.5 million.

But wait. $4.5 million is only the headline number. It's not the amount the champion will welcome into their account next Wednesday when the finances are cleared. Far from it.

I should say at this stage, and it's important I emphasize the point, that every single professional golfer's financial situation and agreement with his staff is different to the next.

Most of the numbers I'll lay out after this are rough guides based on information I know to be true rather than cookie-cutter figures which relate to all.

Having said that, there are two factors which will affect everyone the same, no matter who wins. The first is a 10% share of the top payout, which goes to the caddie.

It's common in pro golf for the tournament champion to share 10% of their winnings with their looper and between 7-8% providing they make the cut. Therefore, the triumphant assistant is destined to pick up a bonus of $450,000 very soon.

The other unavoidable factor which everyone has to deal with is tax - specifically individual and state income tax. Given the 2026 US Open is taking place at Shinnecock Hills in the state of New York, there is a 9.65% takeaway from their cash prize.

As far as individual income tax goes, that depends on where a player lives. The reason a lot of professional golfers choose to live in states such as Florida is because Sunshine State residents do not have to pay individual income tax.

The same is true for people who live in Alaska, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming or other countries like the United Arab Emirates.

A lot of other players live in Sea Island, Georgia where residents only have to pay a flat 5.19% in terms of individual income tax. Georgia is one of 15 US states to offer a fixed rate on individual income tax.

On the opposite end of the scale, very few players live in California because the Golden State requires a 13.3% penalty or the United Kingdom because residents will be taxed between 20-45%. Meanwhile, New York maxes out at 10.9% and New Jersey is at 10.75% for 2026.

The biggest takeaway of prize money for US-based pro golfers is Federal Tax, though. Federal tax rates in the US range between 10% and 37%, depending on the declared amount earned, and can turn out to be a huge vacuum for a player's yearly earnings.

Federal tax is worked out by annual earnings rather than weekly, however, so pros are unlikely to lose as much as they would if they were docked 37% of $4.5 million ($1.66 million).

According to data from PGA Tour pro, Michael Kim, the approximate bill due to Uncle Sam from a $4.5 million winner's check at the US Open is somewhere between $1.4 and $1.5 million. And that's just tax.

From there, coaches, physios and trainers are all due a small bonus of the $4.5 million for their part in the victory as well.

It's unlikely to be as much as a caddie, but - again - each player's agreement with their team varies, as does the number of staff in said team, so it's difficult to say with any certainty what they might pay out.

But, if we say each staff member takes away a 3% bonus and an average leading pro employs four or five external members, the US Open winner could easily be looking at parting with an additional $600,000 or so.

Taking all of the above into account, it remains possible that whoever wins the US Open on Sunday may be looking at take-home pay of just under $2 million as opposed to the advertised $4.5 million - roughly 45% of the original figure.

Kevin Kisner has said he might expect to see around a third of his weekly check while Kim gave a rough estimate of over 50%.

Additionally, what I've written about here only relates to tournament prize money and doesn't begin to include sponsorship and endorsement bonuses the lucky pro will be due.

Away from the purse set out by the USGA, players will also have to take into account accommodation, food, travel and several other logistical issues which cost money.

The point of this article is certainly not to strike up the tiny violin for pro golfers - far from it. They're doing very well for themselves and are undoubtedly extremely grateful to be in the position they're in.

It is more to educate and highlight how extreme the drop off in take-home pay is compared to the numbers that are lauded about when it comes to tournament prize money.

If there are any other areas of the pro game's finances you would love to read about, please let us know in the comments box below. For the time being, enjoy the US Open.

US OPEN WINNER'S CHECK BREAKDOWN

TOTAL POTENTIAL TAKE-HOME PAY: $1,939,771