The third major of the season has been the new buzz in the world of golf because of its brutal greens and the field’s struggle with slow play. However, the prize pool that the USGA is offering is as extreme as its difficulty level at the US Open 2024. The purse of a whopping $21.5 million will be shared among the 71 professionals who made the cut this season. This amount is $1.5 million more than the last year’s edition.

Although the total number of players that have made the cut this season is 74, three of them are amateurs and are not allowed a share in the purse as per the rules set by the USGA. This list of three includes Luke Clanton, Neal Shipley, and Gunnar Broin. However, recently, the CEO of USGA, Mike Whan, declared that they might be giving amateurs a chance in the future. While the players who have not made the cut this season will get $10,000 each, the winner of this major will bag a tremendous amount of $4.3 million.

Compared to the other events played this year, the US Open is providing the second-highest pay pool. Scottie Scheffler won a higher amount of $4.5 million as the winner of the PLAYERS Championship in 2024. While the PGA Championship offered $18,500,000, Xander Schauffele won $3.3 million. The 2024 Masters winner Scottie Scheffler earned $3,600,000 while Tiger Woods bagged only $39,600 after finishing at T60.

But what will the payout be at the US Open this season? Let us look at the breakdown:

Such a huge prize pool is certainly giving tough competition to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf. But how has the prize pool changed at the US Open over the years? Let us dive in to find out.

The US Open’s prize pool since 1895

The very first year the US Open made its debut in 1895, the winner, Horace Rawlins, won only $150 from a purse of $335. The purse and the winner’s share remained constant for the next five years. But with the turn of the century, in 1900, the US Open increased the winner’s share by $50 and a hike of $465 was made in the total purse.

Then, in 1906, with Alex Smith winning $300, the US Open continued with the same prize money until 1960, when the event was stopped for World War II. A decade after the conclusion of the war, $500 was the winning prize.

It was not until 1959 that the winner of the US Open received a share of over $10,000. When Andy North won his second US Open in 1985 at Oakland Hills, he won $103,000, which was another milestone in the prize pool history of the US Open tournament.

Almost 15 years later, the tournament took its very first step in the millions. Tiger Woods got a purse share of $1 million in 2002 at Bethpage State Park, from a total prize fund of $6.25 million. Do you think Rory McIlroy can climb up from his runner-up position last season and win the 2024 US Open? Let us know in the comments below.