2017 U.S. Open purse: Brooks Koepka takes home $2.16 million in prize money
Koepka jumped to a new tax bracket with Sunday’s win — only his second on U.S. soil.
Brooks Koepka didn’t just make his mark on the PGA Tour by earning his first major championship with a record-tying 16-under showing at the U.S. Open. He also pocketed a record $2.16 million in the process.
Koepka’s breakthrough performance at Erin Hills cemented his status as one of the game’s rising stars. The 27-year-old kicked off his final round Sunday with a pair of birdies, then held on as the rest of the field — with the exception of Hideki Matsayama — fell by the wayside. A sand-save birdie on the 14th hole was the spark that pushed him to a career-defining win. Rather than cruise back to the clubhouse, he’d go on to birdie his next two holes and claim one of golf’s top honors by a comfortable margin.
The win was only Koepka’s second in North America. His No. 1 finish at the 2015 Waste Management Phoenix Open netted him a mere $1.134 million.
Brian Harman, who came into Sunday’s final round with the lead but couldn’t hold off Koepka’s furious finish, landed in a tie for second place at 12-under. Matsuyama’s furious rally to finish his Sunday with a 66 wasn’t enough to deliver Japan its first major, but it was enough to secure more than $1 million after tying for second-best with Harman.
This year’s $12 million purse was the biggest in U.S. Open history and the most lucrative on the PGA Tour. That marked a $2 million increase from last year’s event, where Dustin Johnson pocketed $1.8 million by gutting out his first major victory. Johnson was the early favorite to repeat as champion this summer, but a 4-over start kept him from playing into the weekend.
Here’s how this year’s U.S. Open payout compares to the game’s other three majors:
- PGA Championship: $10.5 million in prizes
- British Open: $8.3 million (2016)
- Masters: $10 million
That generous prize pool meant the top 24 finishers went home with six-figure payouts. A 39th-place finish still paid more than $50,000. Each professional who missed the cut this week earned $10,000 for their efforts.
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