Golfers at this year’s U.S. Open will compete for $21.5 million in prize money, USGA CEO Mike Whan announced Wednesday. The tally is the same as the 2024 event, which remains the highest ever for a major championship.
The 125th Open will be at Oakmont Country Club outside of Pittsburgh, Pa., as 156 golfers compete for the title and a first-place check worth $4.3 million, the same as Bryson DeChambeau earned in 2024 when he captured his second U.S. Open win at Pinehurst. Second and third this year are worth $2.32 million and $1.45 million.
Prize money for tournament winners has nearly doubled since 2021 when Jon Rahm earned $2.25 million. It previously took 17 years for it to double—Retief Goosen pocketed $1.125 million in 2004. Jack Nicklaus made $55,000 for his fourth and final U.S. Open in 1980 ($213,000 in today’s dollars).
The U.S. Open has often paused on bumping prize money, with eight different instances since 2008 where there was no increase for the winner’s portion.
Last year, the U.S. Open had the highest total prize money and winner’s share among the four majors. It almost certainly will again in 2025, with only the British Open left to play. In April, The Masters doled out $21 million, including $4.2 million for Rory McIlroy’s winner’s share—a $600,000 year-over-year bump from the previous top prize. Last month, Scottie Scheffler made $3.42 million for his PGA Championship title—the total payout was $19 million. Xander Schauffele won the 2024 British Open and $3.1 million of its $17 million purse.
This will be the 10th U.S. Open held at Oakmont, the most of any club. Scheffler is the heavy favorite at +275, according to BetMGM. It is the shortest odds at the Open since Tiger Woods was +175 in 2009.
Scheffler has been ranked No. 1 in the world for 108 straight weeks, the longest stretch ever by a golfer not named Tiger. But he and other golfers are sounding the alarm on how challenging Oakmont will be this week.
“This is probably the hardest golf course that we’ll play,” Scheffler told the media Tuesday. “Maybe ever.”
