South African Open Championship Full Prize Money Payout 2026

One of the oldest national open championships in the game has been taking place at Stellenbosch Golf Club this week, with the South African Open Championship providing the chance for the winner to enter the history books.

First played in 1903, several legends of the game have won this event - including Gary Player a record 13 times - making it one of the most prestigious competitions on the calendar.

Despite the historic nature of the South African Open, the overall prize purse remains quite modest and it has not changed since returning to the DP World Tour schedule in 2023.

For the fourth year in a row, there is a total of $1.5 million on the line while a check for just over $250,000 awaits the winner - before various takeaways reduce how much they (and the rest of the field) really earn.

This week also highlights a rare example of very few players taking home a six-figure sum from a DP World Tour event - only second place will scoop more than $100,000.

With one round to play in South Africa, local star Casey Jarvis, who won last week's Magical Kenya Open, led the way by one over Francesco Laporta and Hennie du Plessis.

One player who surely won't claim the title is defending champion Dylan Naidoo, who began the final round 14 back of the lead on three over.

Despite it being one of the smallest total payouts of the year on the European circuit, there is a significant non-financial reward on the line at Stellenbosch.

The leading three players who are not already exempt will qualify for The Open at Royal Birkdale in July. The South African Open is one of the Open Qualifying Series events and, as such, is one route into the world's oldest Major.

Below is a breakdown of the maximum prize money payout for each position at the 2026 South African Open Championship before ties are taken into account and based on 70 players making the cut.

SOUTH AFRICAN OPEN PRIZE MONEY BREAKDOWN