US Open 2016 prize money: $1.8m earnings boost on offer for Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Bubba Watson and Rory McIlroy
A cheque of $1.8m is the lucrative monetary reward for the winner of this year’s US Open at Oakmont.
The second Major of the year boasts a $10m prize money purse, making it the joint second-most generous tournament on the PGA Tour alongside the three other Majors and just behind the Players’ Championship.
Prize money for the 116th edition of the championship has been kept at the same level as last year, when Jordan Spieth became the youngest player for over 90 years to win.
The Players Championship took the mantle for golf’s richest tournament this year after it topped up its prize money pot to $10.5m, meaning winner Jason Day took home $1.9m — the sport’s largest paycheque for an individual event.
Read more: Golf's richest tournament to hands out more money to winner than ever before
Oakmont is hosting the US Open for a record ninth time. The last time it was staged on the Pennsylvania course in 1994, winner Ernie Els was awarded $320,000 from a prize pool of $1.75m.
Els is one of 12 former US Open Champions in the field today, as well as Rory McIlroy, who earned a considerably larger sum of $1.4m for winning in 2011, his first ever Major title.
McIlroy, yet to win a title on this year’s Tour, is 20th on the 2016 prize money list with year-to-date earnings of $2.3m.
Top of the list is world No1 Day who has made more than double the Northern Irishman, with three titles so far this year contributing to prize money of $5.6m.