The U.S. Open returned to historic Shinnecock Hills Golf Club for the first time since 2018 as the best in the world came together for the 2026 season's third major. Site of Brooks Koepka's famous victory eight years earlier, Shinnecock has once again lived up to its reputation as one of the toughest tests in golf.
The opening round of the 126th edition of America's national championship saw one of the strongest fields of the year battle the elements and the challenge of this historic U.S. Open venue. The 156-man field that teed it up in the year's third major knew the challenge that awaited them at a locale that had seen three of its last four champions hoist the trophy after posting winning tallies right around even par.
On a leaderboard that featured a plethora of former U.S. Open winners, it was the 2023 champion who emerged from the rest in historic fashion. Wyndham Clark, who won his first major at Los Angeles Country Club in 2023, made history in the first round of the 2026 U.S. Open after posting a 6-under 64, the lowest opening round in a U.S. Open at Shinnecock.
Looking to follow in Koepka's footsteps and win his second U.S. Open at Shinnecock, Clark continued his excellent play during the second round before opening up a sizable advantage over the rest of the field on Moving Day.
Clark followed rounds of 64 and 69 with a solid even par-70 to take a commanding six-shot advantage into the final round. But with a handful of proven winners in hot pursuit, including world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Collin Morikawa, and others, Clark would need to hold his nerve if he hoped to lift the famous trophy for a second time and walk away with a handsome winner's share of the 2026 U.S. Open purse.
How much prize money does the winner of the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills take home? Let's take a look at the total purse, the winner's share, and the complete payout distribution by finishing position for the year's third major.
U.S. Open purse 2026: Total purse and winner's prize money
Following in the footsteps of previous U.S. Opens in recent years, the 126th edition of the famous championship will feature a record-breaking purse of $22.5 million, with its champion taking home a cool $4.5 million. This is up from the $21.5 million prize purse at the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont, where J.J. Spaun collected $4.3 million in prize money after his dramatic victory.
The purse at the 2026 U.S. Open surpasses the $20.5 million that was divvied out at the PGA Championship and matches The Masters, coming in a little under the whopping $25 million in prize money that was on the line at The Players Championship.
U.S. Open payout distribution by finishing position in 2026
As mentioned, the winner of the 126th U.S. Open at Shinnecock will take home $4.5 million in prize money, the largest in U.S. Open history. With a historic purse, increased payouts are reflected throughout the payout distribution. Here is a look at the entire prize money breakdown by finishing position.
Finishing Position | U.S. Open Prize Money |
|---|---|
Winner | $4,500,000 |
2nd | $2,430,000 |
3rd | $1,532,530 |
4th | $1,074,363 |
5th | $894,841 |
6th | $793,443 |
7th | $715,320 |
8th | $640,654 |
9th | $579,815 |
10th | $532,572 |
11th | $486,021 |
12th | $449,379 |
13th | $418,729 |
14th | $386,466 |
15th | $358,812 |
16th | $335,767 |
17th | $317,331 |
18th | $298,895 |
19th | $280,459 |
20th | $262,022 |
21st | $246,121 |
22nd | $230,220 |
23rd | $214,780 |
24th | $200,492 |
25th | $188,048 |
26th | $177,447 |
27th | $169,381 |
28th | $162,237 |
29th | $155,324 |
30th | $148,410 |
31st | $141,497 |
32nd | $134,583 |
33rd | $127,669 |
34th | $121,447 |
35th | $116,377 |
36th | $111,307 |
37th | $106,468 |
38th | $101,859 |
39th | $97,250 |
40th | $92,641 |
41st | $88,032 |
42nd | $83,423 |
43rd | $78,814 |
44th | $74,205 |
45th | $69,596 |
46th | $65,448 |
47th | $61,300 |
48th | $57,382 |
49th | $55,077 |
50th | $52,773 |
51st | $51,390 |
52nd | $50,238 |
53rd | $49,316 |
54th | $48,855 |
55th | $48,394 |
56th | $47,933 |
57th | $47,472 |
58th | $47,012 |
59th | $46,551 |
60th | $46,090 |
61st | $45,629 |
62nd | $45,168 |
63rd | $44,707 |
64th | $44,246 |
65th | $43,785 |
66th | $43,324 |
67th | $42,863 |
As mentioned, the record-breaking purse at the 126th U.S. Open sees a $1 million increase from the sum that was divvied out last time around, and this is reflected in the payout distribution, with each of the top 4 at Shinnecock earning over one million in prize money for the week. Meanwhile, the top 38 finishers will pocket six-figure payouts while the top 20 take home over $250,000 in prize earnings.
Additionally, excluding the 20 amateurs who competed in the 2026 U.S. Open, every professional in the field at Shinnecock will take home a share of prize money, including those who failed to make the weekend. Those who missed the cut at the year's third major will take home $10,000 in prize money for their efforts.
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