How Much Money The 2026 US Open Winning Caddie Earns

Wyndham Clark (right) and his caddie Dave Pelekoudas walk along during sunset in round three of the 2026 US Open — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Once again, the US Open prize money payout has hit new heights, with those professional golfers who made it through to the weekend at Shinnecock Hills playing for a record $22.5 million.

Five amateurs also made the cut, but their status prevents them from picking up any prize money or even the $10,000 check from the USGA to help with expenses and the like.

Therefore, the 67 professionals still in the running will split the cash proportionally, with the biggest slice of the pie - specifically $4.5 million - going to whoever wins.

Yet, that isn't the figure they will gleefully watch drop into their account midway through next week. Far from it. The actual amount of take-home pay the US Open winner sees differs greatly from the headline figure.

And part of the reason is because of a percentage they share with their caddie. Pro loopers are all paid a base amount - be it weekly, monthly or annually - and they pick up bonus checks based on a player's finish.

The first hurdle the player and his caddie must cross is making the cut. From there, that's where the money is made.

Once that happens, a golfer's finish determines exactly what percentage of their prize money they share with their assistant. Another factor which affects how much money is passed on relates to the particular agreement each pair made before striking up a working relationship.

It's pretty common for the winner to share 10% of their tournament prize money with their caddie as a bonus, while there's often between 7-8% passed on for simply making a cut.

Other players prefer to add on a 5% if they make the cut but finish poorly and then increase the bonus figure the higher up the leaderboard they end the week.

But, using the above theory, whichever looper is lucky enough to take home the pin flag on 18 later today will also scoop a life-changing $450,000 bonus.

Wyndham Clark and his caddie walking down the 18th at Shinnecock Hills in the third round of the 2026 US Open

And I'm sure the winning player will gladly hand it over knowing they were wonderfully assisted in tasting Major glory on a course at Shinnecock Hills which tested every ounce of their mental fortitude.

The aforementioned sums are likely to be identical to The Masters as well, which also offered up a $22.5 million prize pool.

Rory McIlroy clinched $4.5 million alongside his second Green Jacket while Harry Diamond could have picked up a bonus of almost half a million.

Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Joaquin Niemann. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and recently reached his Handicap goal of 18 for the first time.