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 are are some of the perks this week's US Open champion JJ Spaun receives.
1. Their Own US Open Trophy
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, JJ Spaun will receive a full-size replica that they keep for the duration of their reign. Once it's handed back, he' gets another slightly smaller replica trophy to keep for good. This has been the case since 1986, when the real trophy was retired.
2. 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 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.
3. Money
The US Open has the largest prize fund of the men's Majors and the 2025 US Open prize money is the largest in history, albeit it remains unchanged from last year.
As well as all of the above perks, Spaun wins a huge $4.3m from the $21.5m total prize pool for coming on top after 72 holes at Oakmont. That is by far the largest paycheck of his career.
4. Hall of Champions
The Hall of Champions, the signature architectural space in the Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History at the USGA museum in New Jersey, celebrates every USGA champion and championship to date.
The oval rotunda is illuminated by a clerestory and houses the original 16 USGA national championship trophies. Spaun will have his name inscribed into one of the bronze panels that encircle the room along with every other USGA champion.
5. 10-year US Open exemption
JJ Spaun will automatically qualify for every single US Open up until 2035.
The US Open future venues are cemented until then so we know that his final US Open under the current exemption would be in ten years' time at Pinehurst.
The US Open winner's exemption is actually the lowest of all four men's Majors. The Masters and PGA Championship offer lifetime exemptions, while the Open Championship allows winners to compete until the age of 55.
6. Major exemptions
As well as a ten-year US Open spot, US Open winners get access into the next five editions of each of the other three men's Majors.
That means JJ Spaun's US Open win guarantees him another 25 Major starts.
7. Senior Golf
His US Open win also sets Spaun up for post-50 golf too, with champions getting invites to the US Senior Open for five years.
He will also receive invitations to the Senior Open and Senior PGA Championship.
8. PGA Tour card
Away from the Majors, Spaun also receives a five-year exemption into The Players Championship and secures his PGA Tour card for the same amount of time. That's some job security.
9. Ranking Points
Spaun will also receive plenty of Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points to break into the world's top 10 for the first time in his career.
All Majors offer 100 world ranking points, while the next-best Players Championship offers 80.
10. Ryder Cup points
Every US player who makes the cut in a Major wins 1.5 Ryder Cup points per $1,000 earned, which is 50% more than the usual 1 point per $1,000 for regular PGA Tour events.
That means a huge $4.3m payday will equal a massive allocation of points and go a long way to securing Spaun's automatic qualifying spot on the team for his Team USA debut.
11. FedEx Cup points
Major winners, and Players Championship winners, pick up 750 FedEx Cup points. Signature Events give 700 to their winners, while regular events offer 500.
The biggest FedEx Cup points actually come during the Playoffs, where 2,000 points go to the winners of the first two events.
