USGA announces biggest purse in major history for the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst

USGA announced the 2024 US Open purse will be the largest in major-history

A major-record purse of $21.5 million was announced by the USGA on Wednesday at the US Open in Pinehurst.

United States Golf Association (USGA) CEO, Mike Whan announced on the eve of the 124th US Open, the 1000th USGA-run tournament, that the field in Pinehurst would be competing for its biggest purse yet.

The record-breaking prize fund represents not only the biggest US Open purse in history but the biggest in major golf history.

“Those competitors won’t be playing for $150 like 130 years ago, but they’ll be playing for $21.5 million, which means our winner’s purse will be a $4.3 million check to the winner, said Whan.

“And as we always go $10,000 even, if you miss the cut because as I say every year, we really believe making the cut at the U.S. Open is about getting into the field, over 10,000 people playing for 156 spots.”

The swelling of prize funds in professional golf shows no signs of easing up with Pinehurst’s purse up $1.5 million from last year’s edition won by Wyndham Clark, and surpasses the $20 million payout also offered at Augusta earlier this year.

Aside from the LIV Golf Tour, only the PGA Tour’s flagship event, the Players Championship has a bigger payout with Sawgrass distributing $25 million between its 2024 field.

Whoever prevails on the unique challenge that is Pinehurst No.2 is set to take home $4.3 million, a healthy jump up from the $3.6 won by Clark just 12 months earlier at Los Angeles Country Club. And as always, $10,000 will be paid out to those who miss the cut too thanks to Whan’s belief that getting into the 156-man field over 10,000 people is the ‘real’ cut.

“We’re proud of our purse. I’m proud of the fact that we as an organization consistently ask ourselves whether or not we think we’ve got our purse right, our TV right, continued Whan.

“All of those things have changed quite a bit in the last few years, and change is uncomfortable, but I think we’re not only keeping up with the times, but hopefully at least in the landscape of majors, in a lot of these cases we’re leading. You guys can decide if you think that’s right or wrong, but that’s how we think about it.”

In his 12-minute monologue, Whan rattled through his organization’s accomplishments from greenkeeping apprenticeship programs and junior initiatives, to improved inclusivity within the game and reduced commercial time during live tournament broadcasts.

Whan retold how he had asked Jack Nicklaus at last week’s Memorial Tournament ‘why do we as an industry have such a hard time accepting success’…before answering his own question.

“The game is blossoming like never before and we can’t help ourselves, we just spend all this time looking for the negative storyline. But 12 million more golfers in the last five years, made up of people of color, juniors, youth. We’re younger than we’ve ever been before. We’re more female than we’ve ever been before.”

There was a brief acknowledgment that the men’s professional game was facing some ‘disputes’, but ultimately stayed resolute on why golf should be ‘over the moon’ about what’s happening in the game, why dwindling TV audiences are a myth, and why we should be excited at the largest US Open build ever, set to see 225,000 come through the gates this week.

“If golf was a stock, it would be soaring. You’d be purchasing it. Whether you’re a television producer, whether you’re a golf course owner, whether you’re a golf club builder because there’s just nothing better for the game than people loving it.

“I have zero concern about the future of the game and the future of viewership and the future of fandom because we’re doing what we’ve always wanted to do, and quite frankly couldn’t.”

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Ross Tugwood

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Ross Tugwood is a Senior Digital Writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in data, analytics, science, and innovation.

Ross is passionate about optimizing sports performance and has a decade of experience working with professional athletes and coaches for British Athletics, the UK Sports Institute, and Team GB.

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