The US Open is not only one of the most prestigious events in golf, it's also one of the hardest, and this year's edition at Oakmont has lived up to that reputation in a big way.
Deep into the final round, no one had managed to tame the course to the extent that they were under par in a grueling tournament that saw many of the world's biggest names fall by the wayside after just two days. Even some who made the cut showed their frustrations at various points as fast greens and brutal rough put players through the wringer.
For most of the tournament, it has been a slow burner, but by the time the players in contention were on the back nine, it was turning into something of an epic, with half a dozen or more, including Sam Burns and Adam Scott, all in with a realistic chance of claiming the title following a weather delay.
Because of all those factors, it's highly likely that whoever does lift the trophy will have just emerged from his toughest test this year, and possibly even in his career.
The good news is the competitors will be well rewarded for their efforts, with an overall purse of $21.5m to play for. That's the same figure as a year ago, when Bryson DeChambeau took advantage of a late Rory McIlroy collapse to win the title.
That handed him a check for $4.3m, and, as confirmed by USGA CEO Mike Whan in a pre-tournament press conference, this year's winner will bank the same amount.
He said: "Our purse is $21.5 million. Winner's check is 4.3. We didn't raise our purse this year. When I started at the USGA just four years ago, our purse was 12.5, so I feel comfortable that we've been a leader in moving fast and bigger."
Whan also put the figure into perspective, adding: "We know that this probably isn't really about the money for the person who puts it there, but at the same time, we want the money to be commensurate with the achievement.
"So yeah, we feel comfortable. I don't really know the other four Majors, but I think if we're not the top, we're close to the top. We'll continue to evaluate that both on the men's and women's side because it's part of creating what we want to be the greatest championship in the game."
For further context, The Masters offered $21m, with Rory McIlroy claiming $4.2m for his win, while the PGA Championship gave winner Scottie Scheffler $3.42m from an overall purse of $19m.
Here is the prize money breakdown for the 66 players who made it as far as the weekend.
US Open Prize Money Breakdown 2025
Position |
Prize Money |
|---|---|
1st |
$4,300,000 |
2nd |
$2,322,000 |
3rd |
$1,459,284 |
4th |
$1,023,014 |
5th |
$852,073 |
6th |
$755,520 |
7th |
$681,131 |
8th |
$610,034 |
9th |
$552,103 |
10th |
$507,118 |
11th |
$462,792 |
12th |
$427,901 |
13th |
$398,716 |
14th |
$367,995 |
15th |
$341,663 |
16th |
$319,719 |
17th |
$302,164 |
18th |
$284,609 |
19th |
$267,054 |
20th |
$249,499 |
21st |
$234,358 |
22nd |
$219,217 |
23rd |
$204,515 |
24th |
$190,910 |
25th |
$179,060 |
26th |
$168,966 |
27th |
$161,286 |
28th |
$154,483 |
29th |
$147,900 |
30th |
$141,317 |
31st |
$134,734 |
32nd |
$128,151 |
33rd |
$121,567 |
34th |
$115,643 |
35th |
$110,815 |
36th |
$105,987 |
37th |
$101,379 |
38th |
$96,991 |
39th |
$92,602 |
40th |
$88,213 |
41st |
$83,824 |
42nd |
$79,436 |
43rd |
$75,047 |
44th |
$70,658 |
45th |
$66,269 |
46th |
$62,320 |
47th |
$58,370 |
48th |
$54,639 |
49th |
$52,445 |
50th |
$50,251 |
51st |
$48,934 |
52nd |
$47,837 |
53rd |
$46,959 |
54th |
$46,520 |
55th |
$46,081 |
56th |
$45,642 |
57th |
$45,203 |
58th |
$44,765 |
59th |
$44,326 |
60th |
$43,887 |
61st |
$43,448 |
62nd |
$43,009 |
63rd |
$42,570 |
64th |
$42,131 |
65th |
$41,692 |
66th |
$41,254 |
