2022 Wales Open: Prize Money Breakdown And Winner’s Payout

The Wales Open takes place this weekend at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, Wales. More popularly known as the Cazoo Open, the competition came back to existence in 2020 following a revamp of the European Tour post-COVID-19. The total purse for this year’s competition will follow an identical structure to last week’s Hero Open, with €1.75 million up for grabs.

Winnings for this year’s Wales Open

Following a comeback on the DP Tour in 2020, the tournament will witness its second consecutive jump in prize money. From €1 million in 2020, the tournament has seen a steady rise in prize money following multi-year sponsorship deals and higher publicity.

The winner of this year’s Wales Open will receive prize money in excess of €290k. He is also awarded 24 OWGR (Official World Golf Ranking) points, plus a two-season exemption on the European Tour. The winner also gets 460 Race to Dubai points. The top 5 golfers with the highest OWGR points at the end of the season will receive additional prize money from a €5 million pool.

Prize Money Breakdown of The 2022 Wales Open

In the 2021 edition, Spanish golfer Nacho Elvira bagged the winner’s share after defeating Justin Harding in a playoff. The Spaniard was on par to win the tournament after cruising to a six-shot lead ahead of the final round but was pinged back by a resurgent Harding.

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However, the former held his nerves to par in the first playoff hole and claim his first European Tour win. While Elvira will be back on the course to defend his title, his fellow rival won’t be, having moved on to represent the LIV Golf series.

The highest ranked player to represent in the tournament will be World No.102, Oliver Bekker. The South African will be looking to make the most out of his ranking to claim his debut European Tour win. Homeboy Jamie Donaldson, ranked World No. 165, is most likely to receive the majority of the cheers, with the crowd pinning their hopes on him to become the first Welsh golfer to win the tournament.

The tournament is also known for its low par score on the very first course. The Roman Road course is a par-69, which is rare at the professional level. The tournament has also seen its fair share of troubles with sponsorships; the 2011 event was sponsored by now-defunct car manufacturer Saab Automobile, before switching to ISPS Handa. The Japanese society ultimately ended its association two years later to sponsor an Asia Tour event.

In 2021, the tournament was sponsored by Cazoo as part of a multi-year sponsorship deal, which also included the English Open. The event received great publicity with the support of Welsh star and popular soccer player, Gareth Bale.

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