5 Perks Of Winning The US Open

Anyone who becomes a Major champion has their name etched into golf's history books, but there are several other benefits that come with hoisting the US Open trophy come Sunday evening.

Here ere are some of the perks this week's champion will receive.

1. The US Open Trophy... Sort Of

As strange as it may seem, when you see the trophy being presented to the US Open champion, it's not the actual trophy. That's because it is a permanent fixture of the USGA Museum in New Jersey.

Instead, the winner is handed a full-size replica that they keep for the duration of their reign. Once it's handed back, another slightly smaller replica trophy is given to the player to keep for good. This has been the case since 1986, when the real trophy was retired.

2. Money

The prize purse for America's national championship saw a $5m increase in 2022, from $12.5m to $17.5m. 

That figure has risen to $20m for 2023, making it the first ever $20m Major championship purse. The winner picks up a check for $3.6m.

3. The Jack Nicklaus Medal

A gold medal has been handed to the winner since 1895, but at that time, the champions' club would get the trophy. 

The medal had originally been nameless, like the trophy, and neither did it have a standard design. That all changed in 2012, when it was finally named the Jack Nicklaus Medal and designed with an image of the Golden Bear's famous winner's swing on it. 

The 18-time Major winner is one of a quartet of players to win the US Open four times, along with Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan.

4. Exemptions

While winning the US Open doesn't bring a lifelong ticket to the event that those kind souls at Augusta National dish out for winning The Masters, a win in the tournament comes with plenty of exemptions.

First of all, your spot in the next 10 US Opens is guaranteed, as it also is for five years at The Open, The Masters and PGA Championship.

Away from the Majors, the winner also receives a five-year exemption into The Players Championship and secures their PGA Tour card for the same amount of time. Non-PGA Tour members can either join the PGA Tour within 60 days of winning, or in time for any one of the next five seasons.

A US Open win also sets you up for post-50 golf too, with champions getting invites to the US Senior Open for five years as well as invitations to the Senior Open and Senior PGA Championship.

5. Ranking Points

The player who conquers Los Angeles Country Club will also receive plenty of Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points while for those on the PGA Tour, FedEx Cup points also come into play. All Majors offer up to 100 world ranking points and 600 towards the PGA Tour's season-long race for the FedEx Cup. 

Of course, the future of LIV Golf players is unclear following the deal struck between the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and the fund that bankrolls the circuit, PIF. However, that haul of OWGR points will still come in handy for any LIV Golf player who wins the Major considering the paucity of opportunities they currently have to climb the rankings.

With the possibility of players putting themselves in contention for Ryder Cup places up for grabs, too, there's plenty at stake looking ahead to the biennial tournament at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club.