The prize money for the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink has been raised from $19m to $20.5m, with the champion set to earn $3.69m, up from the $3.42m Scottie Scheffler banked for lifting the Wanamaker Trophy last year.
The second-placed player might not get their name on the famous piece of silverware, but they still take home $2,214,000, whilst just under $1.4m is up for grabs for finishing third.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
It's the kind of pot we're used to seeing in the men's game, but how does this compare to the other three blue ribbon events - the Masters, US Open, and Open Championship?
The Masters also increased its overall payout this year, with a total prize fund of $22.5m, up $1.5m on 2025.
For McIlroy, that meant he took home $300,000 more than he did when he won the Masters for the first time in 2025, with checks of $4.5m and $4.2m landing in his bank account in successive years.
The prize funds for this year's two other Major Championships have yet to be announced, although it's safe to say that the rewards for a lofty finish will be fairly handsome.
Looking back at last year, the lowest Major Championship prize fund was $17m.
Here are the figures for the total prize money and what the winner takes/took for the last six Major Championships.
Major |
Total Prize Fund |
Winner's Check |
|---|---|---|
2026 Open |
TBC |
TBC |
2026 US Open |
TBC |
TBC |
2026 PGA Championship |
$20.5m |
$3.69 |
2026 Masters |
$22.5 |
$4.5m |
2025 Open |
$17m |
$3.1m |
2025 US Open |
$21.5m |
$4.3m |
2025 PGA Championship |
$19m |
$3.42 |
2025 Masters |
$21m |
$4.2m |
Despite The PGA of America announcing last week that this year's prize money payout would be a record $20.5 million, it still puts the PGA Championship third highest among the Majors.
Major prize funds tend to be confirmed in the lead up to the tournament, and it would be no surprise to see the US Open match what was on offer at the Masters in April.
It would also be no surprise to see The R&A hold its total prize fund at $17m for the third successive year.
If, however, R&A chief Mark Darbon does announce an increase, it would be unlikely to surpass the other three Major Championships.
"There has been huge inflation in prize money in recent years and we’ve got to be very thoughtful about that as we look to the future," Darbon told the FT earlier this year.
"Every extra dollar we put into the prize purse, quite frankly, is a dollar that comes out of the amount that we’re able to reinvest back into the sport.
"So we are very sensitive to that. We want to reward the players but we want to do so in a sensible fashion."
