2026 US Open Qualifier Shares Money Breakdown After Making Cut At Shinnecock Hills

Last week's US Open at Shinnecock Hills featured the highest tournament purse in championship history, with USGA CEO Mike Whan unveiling the $22.5 million payout days before the action began.

As a result of there being more money than ever on the table, Wyndham Clark's second US Open victory earned him almost $1 million more than he picked up at LACC in 2023.

It also helped anyone else who made the cut as well, with those who finished T39th or better securing a six-figure payout for their week.

While each player's take-home pay will be substantially lower than the headline figure, it's still fascinating to see the kind of numbers swishing around at the top of the sport.

And thanks to everyone's favorite pro golfer who holds a love of breaking down his finances on social media, we're able to learn more about the incomings and outgoings that take place during US Open week.

In a recent post, Korn Ferry Tour pro James Nicholas provided a quick overview of what he spent at Shinnecock Hills before revealing his profit for the week.

Nicholas - who won this year's Astara Golf Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour - earned his US Open tee time through Final Qualifying and as such was required to spend $200 on an entry fee to Golf's Longest Day.

Once he made it to Shinnecock Hills, the 29-year-old joined the other 155 players in the field in spending $100 on an entry fee - an aspect many people don't consider when thinking about the costs associated with a US Open.

Continuing his breakdown on a video shared to his Instagram, Nicholas explained that due to his late entry, finding accommodation would usually be very difficult, but a family friend helped out in more ways than one.

Nicholas said: "I qualified for the championship about two weeks before the actual event, so finding a hotel or an Airbnb or something like that is not easy.

"Luckily, I had a host, so shout out to Steve, you made my week so enjoyable, unforgettable, and also saved me a ton of money.

"Steve is my dad's childhood friend from Scarsdale, NY, so he hosted us for the week and supplied groceries - so I spent $0 on groceries - spotted us a place to stay, so it was $0 on a place to stay, and it made our week so enjoyable so thank you very much."

Continuing the theme of freebies, the World No.278 shared all US Open players are given a courtesy car from USGA partner Lexus should they want, so no money was spent on gas or transport either.

Nicholas and his wife America did spend around $250 on merchandise from the on-site store at Shinnecock before splashing out on an overnight stay at Gurney's Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa once the championship was over.

Nicholas continued: "We spent $1,500 on some post-even fun, you could call it. My wife America and I stayed at Gurney's in Montauk and had a nice dinner and really just enjoyed the week, recapped the week which was awesome.

"I really recommend that, if you ever get into this championship, it's fun to just take a second to remember what you just did and how you played and just kind of close that chapter and move on."

Nicholas finished the championship in the group on 14-over, marking a T65th result. That was four spots lower than his US Open debut last year, but he earned slightly more money.

In 2025, Nicholas claimed a check for $43,445 and revealed he spent plenty more across a variety of areas, whereas he banked $44,938 this time around.

His final takeaway from that $45,000 check related to his caddie who was on a base rate of $2,000 for the week before earning an 8% bonus of Nicholas' tournament check, which is $3,595.

Overall, the New York-born golfer made a profit of $37,843 from his second US Open appearance.

Nicholas did admit in his Instagram post that those figures don't include the taxes he'll be required to pay, but they still represent a fascinating insight into the finances in Major championships nonetheless.