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Update 1:45 p.m. ET With a breathtaking 64 in the final round of the 2022 Open Championship at St Andrews, Cameron Smith of Australia wins the Claret Jug and the gold medal. He turned aside his playing partner in Cameron Young as well as the favorite Rory McIlroy in the last round to take home his first major victory.
The Open Championship is not only the “world’s championship” of golf as the R&A is the governing body for the sport everywhere outside of the United States and Mexico, but it’s also the tournament so many players from across the globe want to win the most.
The Claret Jug, the gold medal, and being called the Champion Golfer of the Year are plenty of incentive to play your best game in the final major of the calendar year. But a cool $2.5 million in cash doesn’t hurt either.
The winner of The Open also receives a list of perks and goodies as long as any tournament in the game. While it’s not the lifetime exemption that comes with a win at The Masters, every winner of the Claret Jug is exempt for The Open until they are 60 years of age. So while former winners like Ben Curtis (age 45) and Justin Leonard (age 50) chose not to enter this year’s event at St Andrews, they are welcome to return to the tournament whenever they wish until that year.
A victory also means you’re exempt on the PGA Tour through the end of the 2027 season, and you’re also in the field for the other three majors until 2027 as well. The 100 Official World Golf Ranking points and 600 FedEx Cup points, plus the spot in the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions are just another dessert mint after the icing on the cake.
To be noted: Unlike any other tournament in golf, those that fail to make the cut still get a paycheck at The Open. The first 10 players and ties that aren’t amateurs who miss the cut earn $10,500. The next 20 and ties receive $8,500, and the remaining players all receive $7,000.
Here is the complete list of prize money for the 2022 Open Championship from St Andrews:
2022 Open Championship Prize Money
| Place | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Place | Prize Money |
| 1st | $2,500,000 |
| 2nd | $1,455,000 |
| 3rd | $933,000 |
| 4th | $725,000 |
| 5th | $583,000 |
| 6th | $505,000 |
| 7th | $434,000 |
| 8th | $366,000 |
| 9th | $321,000 |
| 10th | $290,000 |
| 11th | $264,000 |
| 12th | $234,000 |
| 13th | $220,000 |
| 14th | $206,000 |
| 15th | $191,500 |
| 16th | $176,000 |
| 17th | $167,500 |
| 18th | $159,750 |
| 19th | $153,000 |
| 20th | $145,750 |
| 21st | $139,000 |
| 22nd | $132,000 |
| 23rd | $125,000 |
| 24th | $118,000 |
| 25th | $114,000 |
| 26th | $109,000 |
| 27th | $105,000 |
| 28th | $101,500 |
| 29th | $97,000 |
| 30th | $92,000 |
| 31st | $89,000 |
| 32nd | $84,500 |
| 33rd | $81,500 |
| 34th | $79,250 |
| 35th | $76,500 |
| 36th | $73,500 |
| 37th | $70,000 |
| 38th | $66,500 |
| 39th | $64,000 |
| 40th | $62,000 |
| 41st | $59,500 |
| 42nd | $56,500 |
| 43rd | $54,000 |
| 44th | $51,000 |
| 45th | $48,000 |
| 46th | $45,500 |
| 47th | $43,700 |
| 48th | $42,000 |
| 49th | $40,000 |
| 50th | $39,100 |
| 51st | $38,200 |
| 52nd | $37,600 |
| 53rd | $37,000 |
| 54th | $36,500 |
| 55th | $35,900 |
| 56th | $35,400 |
| 57th | $35,000 |
| 58th | $34,750 |
| 59th | $34,500 |
| 60th | $34,250 |
| 61st | $34,000 |
| 62nd | $33,900 |
| 63rd | $33,750 |
| 64th | $33,600 |
| 65th | $33,400 |
| 66th | $33,100 |
| 67th | $32,900 |
| 68th | $32,600 |
| 69th | $32,400 |
| 70th | $32,200 |