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, which comes from Oakmont for a record 10th time, promises to be no different.
In the build-up to the tournament, several big-name stars had their say on the challenge facing the players, with the rough in particular something universally agreed would need to be avoided wherever possible for any chance of a successful week.
With one of the most grueling events in the game in prospect, it's safe to say that whatever prize money the pros can get their hands on will have been well earned.
The good news for the competitors is that there is a handsome overall purse on offer, with $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.
Below is the prize money breakdown based on the percentage distribution of the 2024 tournament.
US Open Prize Money Payout 2025
Position |
Prize Money |
|---|---|
1st |
$4,300,000 |
2nd |
$2,322,000 |
3rd |
$1,445,062 |
4th |
$1,013,040 |
5th |
$843,765 |
6th |
$748,154 |
7th |
$674,491 |
8th |
$604,086 |
9th |
$546,720 |
10th |
$502,174 |
11th |
$458,280 |
12th |
$423,729 |
13th |
$394,829 |
14th |
$364,407 |
15th |
$338,332 |
16th |
$316,602 |
17th |
$299,218 |
18th |
$281,834 |
19th |
$264,450 |
20th |
$247,067 |
21st |
$232,073 |
22nd |
$217,080 |
23rd |
$202,521 |
24th |
$189,048 |
25th |
$177,314 |
26th |
$167,319 |
27th |
$159,713 |
28th |
$152,977 |
29th |
$146,458 |
30th |
$139,939 |
31st |
$133,420 |
32nd |
$126,901 |
33rd |
$120,382 |
34th |
$114,515 |
35th |
$109,735 |
36th |
$104,954 |
37th |
$100,391 |
38th |
$96,045 |
39th |
$91,699 |
40th |
$87,353 |
41st |
$83,007 |
42nd |
$78,661 |
43rd |
$74,315 |
44th |
$69,969 |
45th |
$65,623 |
46th |
$61,712 |
47th |
$57,801 |
48th |
$54,107 |
49th |
$51,934 |
50th |
$49,761 |
51st |
$48,457 |
52nd |
$47,370 |
53rd |
$46,501 |
54th |
$46,067 |
55th |
$45,632 |
56th |
$45,197 |
57th |
$44,763 |
58th |
$44,328 |
59th |
$43,894 |
60th |
$43,459 |
61st |
$43,024 |
62nd |
$42,590 |
63rd |
$42,155 |
64th |
$41,721 |
65th |
$41,286 |
66th |
$40,851 |
67th |
$40,417 |
68th |
$39,982 |
69th |
$39,548 |
70th |
$39,113 |
71st |
$38,678 |
