GOLF
What does the winner of the US Open golf tournament get? Prize money, Jack Nicklaus medal...
The third men’s golf major of the year is underway and has plenty of prizes for the champion. We take a look at what the winner will get at Los Angeles Country Club.
The 123rd edition of the US Open has entered its final day. The Los Angeles Country Club, which is hosting its first men’s major ever, is the scenario of an interesting battle to see which golfer will take Matt Fitzpatrick’s place as the US Open champion.
Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark share the 54-hole lead in Los Angeles, with Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler trying to chase them. The Northern Irish sits one off the lead while the world No. 1 is three back.
Tiger Woods missed the event, as he didn’t recover in time from ankle surgery following his withdrawal during the third round of the Masters.
What will the US Open winner get?
There are many candidates to emerge victorious at Los Angeles Country Club, but only one of them will make it.
Whoever ends up winning the US Open, will be awarded with the tournament’s trophy. However, the champion will receive a replica, as the original remains in the USGA Museum in New Jersey. The winner will keep the trophy as long as he’s the champion.
There’s a monetary reward too, as happens with almost all sporting events. The US Open winner will get a check for $3.6 million.
The prize purse increased over the last years, going from $12.5m to $17.5m in 2022 and rising to $20m in 2023.
The golfer with the best card at the end of the competition will also be rewarded with the Jack Nicklaus medal, a gold medal that has been handed to the winner since 1895.
The medal was originally nameless until 2012, when it was finally named the Jack Nicklaus Medal to honor the 18-time major winner, one of the four players to win the US Open four times.
If that wasn’t enough, being the best at the US Open translates into getting some interesting exemptions.
The winner will be able to feature in the next 10 US Open events and the next five editions of The Open, The Masters, and the PGA Championship.
He will also get a five-year exemption into The Players Championship and will secure their PGA Tour card for the same period. And will get invitations to the US Senior Open for five years as well as to the Senior Open and Senior PGA Championship.