Payday at Torrey Pines
U.S. Open 2021: Here's the prize money payout for each golfer at Torrey Pines
Harry How
In 1895, Horace Rawlins won the inaugural U.S. Open at Newport Country Club. For his effort, the 21-year-old Englishman claimed a payday of … $150.
On Sunday at Torrey Pines, 2021 U.S. Open winner Jon Rahm earned slightly more than $150. OK, not slightly. A whole lot more. Like 15,000 times more. Literally.
For the third straight year, the USGA was offering the biggest prize money payout of any major championship. The overall purse for the 2021 U.S. Open remains at $12.5 million with the winner earning $2.25 million.
This keeps the USGA’s marquee event ahead of the other three men's majors in terms of big-money paydays. In May, the PGA of America bumped up the purse of the PGA Championship to $12 million. Augusta National offered $11.5 million at the Masters in April. When the Open Championship was last held in 2020, the R&A awarded $10.5 million in prize money.
We’re repeating ourselves here slightly, but it continues to hold true. It’s not until you break down the amount of money doled out for all the spots in the field that the largesse comes into full focus. The golfer who finishes in 71st (or last) place on Sunday will earn $22,191. That’s 150 times as much as Rawlins made for that first victory.
Consider too how much some notable past U.S. Open champions made when they won their titles and then look at what the players will be taking in this week, and the disparity is striking. Since World War II, here’s some of those paydays:
1950: Ben Hogan at Merion, $4,000
1960: Arnold Palmer at Cherry Hills, $14,400
1973: Johnny Miller at Oakmont, $35,000
1980: Jack Nicklaus at Baltusrol, $55,000
1982: Tom Watson at Pebble Beach, $60,000
1992: Tom Kite at Pebble Beach, $275,000
2000: Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach, $800,000
2008: Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines, $1.35 million
And look at the career U.S. Open earnings of some of the game’s all-time greats. Jack Nicklaus, in 44 U.S. Open starts, made $363,955, slightly more than the player who finishes in eighth place will earn just this week. Arnold Palmer, in 32 U.S. Open starts, made $112,119.50. Finish 23rd on Sunday, and you’ve made more. Ben Hogan’s career U.S. Open earnings ($32,651.66) get beat by the 47th-place finisher.
Long story short: They played for a lot of loot this weekend. And here is how much everybody who makes the cut will earn. (Come back shortly after the tournament ends and we'll update this list with individual names and earnings).
Win: Jon Rahm, -6, $2,250,000
2: Louis Oosthuizen, -5, $1,350,000
3: Harris English, -3, $829,084
T-4: Guido Migliozzi, $498,176
T-4: Brooks Koepka, $498,176
T-4: Collin Morikawa, $498,176
T-7: Branden Grace, $306,893
T-7: Daniel Berger, $306,893
T-7: Paul Casey, $306,893
T-7: Xander Schauffele, $306,893
T-7: Scottie Scheffler, $306,893
T-7: Rory McIlroy, $306,893
T-13: Francesco Molinari, $217,796
T-13: Russell Henley, $217,796
T-15: Patrick Cantlay, $177,279
T-15: Kevin Streelman, $177,279
T-15: Matthew Wolff, $177,279
T-15: Mackenzie Hughes, $177,279
T-19: Patrick Reed, $125,363
T-19: Sergio Garcia, $125,363
T-19: Charl Schwartzel, $125,363
T-19: Brian Harman, $125,363
T-19: Jordan Spieth, $125,363
T-19: Justin Thomas, $125,363
T-19: Dustin Johnson, $125,363
T-26: Hideki Matsuyama, $87,941
T-26: Rikuya Hoshino, $87,941
T-26: Chris Baker, $87,941
T-26: Martin Kaymer, $87,941
T-26: Bryson DeChambeau, $87,941
T-31: Patrick Rodgers, $71,030
T-31: Dylan Wu, $71,030
T-31: Joaquin Niemann, $71,03
T-31: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, $71,030
T-35: Edoardo Molinari, $57,696
T-35: Robert MacIntyre, $57,696
T-35: Adam Scott, $57,696
T-35: Lanto Griffin, $57,696
T-35: Sungjae Im, $57,696
T-40: Wade Ormsby, $43,883
T-40: Adam Hadwin, $43,883
T-40: Chez Reavie, $43,883
T-40: J.T. Poston, $43,883
T-40: Si Woo Kim, $43,883
T-40: Ian Poulter, $43,883
T-46: Rick Lamb, $32,351
T-46: Tom Hoge, $32,351
T-46: Dylan Frittelli, $32,351
T-46: Lee Westwood, $32,351
T-50: Tommy Fleetwood, $27,327
T-50: Rafa Cabrera Bello, $27,327
T-50: Gary Woodland, $27,327
T-50: Bubba Watson, $27,327
T-50: Richard Bland, $27,327
T-55: Kevin Kisner, $26,056
T-55: Matt Fitzpatrick, $26,056
T-57: Taylor Montgomery, $25,183
T-57: Stewart Cink, $25,183
T-57: Akshay Bhatia, $25,183
T-57: Charley Hoffman, $25,183
T-57: Jhonattan Vegas, $25,183
T-62: Phil Mickelson, $24,310
T-62: Greyson Sigg, $24,310
64: Marc Leishman, $23,936
T-65: Matt Jones, $23,437
T-65: Troy Merritt, $23,437
T-65: Shane Lowry, $23,437
T-68: Wilco Nienaber, $22,814
T-68: Kyle Westmoreland, $22,814
T-70: Fabian Gomez, $22,309
T-70: Jimmy Walker, $22,309