Open Championship Prize Money: How Does It Compare To Other Sports?
The Champion Golfer of the Year wins $2.07m this year - but how does that compare to other sports?


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The Champion Golfer of the Year wins $2.07m this year - but how does that compare to other sports?
Open Championship Prize Money: How Does It Compare To Other Sports?
This year's Open Championship features the largest winner's cheque in history, with the Champion Golfer of the Year taking home more than $2m for the first time ever.
Last time out, Shane Lowry took home $1.935m, which was up on the $1.89 million won by Francesco Molinari at Carnoustie in 2018 and the $1.53 million won by Henrik Stenson in 2016 at Troon.
How does this compare to other sports?
Whilst sports like football, F1, cricket and rugby pay out salaries rather than for individual events, some comparisons between sports can still be made.
Prize money for the Open is dwarfed by horse racing’s Dubai World Cup Night, in which the winning jockey receives a cool $7.2m.
The Grand National is much less lucrative, with the winner claiming only £375,000.
When it comes to poker, Triton Super High Roller Series No Limit Hold’em dwarfs most sports with a prize pool of around $65 million.
2019 champion John Cynn won $20.56m.
In tennis, the Men’s and Ladies’ Wimbledon Champions received £1.7m in 2021, well down on the £2.35m first prize in 2019.
Four days of work at the Open outweighs three weeks at the Tour de France, where the winning cyclist will secure €500,000.
2021 World Snooker Champion Mark Selby won £500,000 for his victory; exactly the same as what Gerwyn Price received for winning the PDC Darts World Title.
How does this compare to other sports?
Prize money for individual winner:
The Open Championship: $2.07m
Wimbledon: £1.7m ($2.35m)
Tour de France: €500,000 ($592,000)
Grand National: £375,000 ($519m)
Snooker World Championship: £500,000 ($692m)
PDC Darts World Championship: £500,000 ($692m)
World Pool Championship: $50,000
World Badminton Tour Finals winner: $120,000
Winning a World Surf League Event: $100,000
Floyd Mayweather defeating Conor McGregor in 2017: $275m
Elliott Heath is our Senior Staff Writer and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016. He graduated in Sports Journalism in 2016 and currently manages the Golf Monthly news, courses and travel sections as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Elliott has interviewed some huge names in the golf world including Sergio Garcia, Thomas Bjorn, Bernd Wiesberger and Scotty Cameron as well as a number of professionals on the DP World and PGA Tours. He has also covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as three Open Championships including at Carnoustie in 2018 when he was inside the ropes with Tiger Woods. He has played 31 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Old Head and Alwoodley. He currently plays at West Byfleet Golf Club in Surrey, where his handicap index floats anywhere between 4-6. His golfing highlight is making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, and he has made one hole-in-one.
Elliott is currently playing:
Driver: Honma TR20
3 wood: TaylorMade SIM2 Max
2 iron: Mizuno MP-18 MMC Fli-Hi
Irons: Mizuno MP5 4-PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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