PINEHURST, N.C. — When he spoke to the media on the eve of the 2024 U.S. Open, USGA CEO Mike Whan offered an interesting explanation as to why the association would be offering the richest prize money payout in major championship history—$21.5 million overall with $4.3 million to the winner. Yes, the feud between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has forced the hand of governing bodies that run the men’s big four events to rachet up paydays in an awkward bit of purse inflation. But there was also the notion that the championship itself should come with a financial reward commensurate with the accomplishment of being the last man standing in the U.S. Open.

“We want to make sure that our purse matches how we feel about the rest of our championship, which is that it’s a life-changing different in the game,” Whan said. “And I think we’re there and we’ll continue to kind of monitor that.”

Of course, you can make the argument that money isn’t the most important thing about being a major champion. Rather it’s the label you earn for your triumph, one that can’t be bought or taken away. Do you remember how much Jim Furyk banked when he was the 2003 U.S. Open winner at Olympia Fields? Probably not. But you do know that Furyk is a major champion. (Oh, and he made $1,080,000.)

That said, it’s quite notable that the U.S. Open purse has now increased 72 percent in just the last three years ago and is more than double what it was in 2016.

The USGA has yet to announce the entire breakdown of the prize money payout for the field this week beyond the $4.3 million to the winner—that’s expected on Saturday after the cut is made. Here’s last year’s breakdown when the overall purse was $20 million for a bit of a point of comparison. We’ll update this when the USGA makes its new paydays official and then again shortly after the championship ends and we’ll update this list with individual names and prize money payouts.

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In 2010, a team lead by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw killed and ripped out all the Bermudagrass rough on Pinehurst No. 2 that had been foolishly planted in the 1970s. Between fairways and tree lines, they established vast bands of native hardpan sand dotted with clumps of wiregrass and scattered pine needles. They reduced the irrigation to mere single rows in fairways to prevent grass from ever returning to the new sandy wastelands. Playing firm and fast, it was wildly successful as the site of the 2014 Men’s and Women’s U.S. Opens, played on consecutive weeks. Because of its water reduction, the course was named a Green Star environmental award-winner by Golf Digest that year. In 2019, Pinehurst No. 2 and No. 4 hosted another U.S. Amateur Championship, and the USGA announced Pinehurst No. 2—in addition to hosting the 2024 U.S. Open—will also have the 2029, 2035, 2041 and 2047 U.S. Opens. View Course

Win: $3,600,000

2: $2,160,000

3: $1,413,430

4: $990,867

5: $825,297

6: $731,779

7: $659,727

8: $590,864

9: $534,753

10: $491,182

11: $448,249

12: $414,455

13: $386,187

14: $356,431

15: $330,926

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16: $309,672

17: $292,669

18: $275,665

19: $258,662

20: $241,659

21: $226,993

22: $212,328

23: $198,088

24: $184,910

25: $173,433

26: $163,656

27: $156,217

28: $149,628

29: $143,252

30: $136,876

31: $130,500

32: $124,124

33: $117,747

34: $112,009

35: $107,333

36: $102,657

37: $98,194

38: $93,943

39: $89,692

40: $85,441

41: $81,190

42: $76,939

43: $72,689

44: $68,438

45: $64,187

46: $60,361

47: $56,535

48: $52,922

49: $50,797

50: $48,671

51: $47,396

52: $46,333

53: $45,483

54: $45,058

55: $44,633

56: $44,208

57: $43,783

58: $43,358

59: $42,933

60: $42,508

Note: all professionals who miss the cut each receive $10,000

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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com