Rory McIlroy (Image credit: Instagram)The Open Championship 2026 is set to bring another thrilling finish as the world’s best golfers battle for the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale. Along with the prestigious title, players will compete for a record prize fund of $17.75 million, making the season’s final men’s major even more rewarding. The winner will take home $3.2 million, the biggest payday in the tournament’s history.Several top stars are in contention this week. Rory McIlroy is chasing his second Open title after winning the Masters earlier this year, while defending champion Scottie Scheffler hopes to retain the trophy. England’s Tommy Fleetwood also enters the tournament with high expectations as he looks to claim his first major title on a course he knows well.The Open 2026 offers record prize fund at Royal BirkdaleThe Open Championship has increased its total prize money for the 2026 edition. The overall purse has gone up from $17 million in 2025 to $17.75 million this year, reflecting another rise in rewards for the players competing at Royal Birkdale.The champion will receive $3.2 million, which is $100,000 more than last year’s winner’s cheque. The runner-up will earn $1.842 million, while the golfer finishing in third place will collect $1.181 million. Fourth place is worth $917,000, and the fifth-place finisher will receive $738,000.The prize money continues to be distributed across the entire field. Players finishing inside the top 10 will all receive more than $367,000, while golfers ending the week between 11th and 20th place will also earn substantial six-figure payouts.Those finishing further down the leaderboard will still receive healthy rewards. Players placed between 21st and 70th will collect prize money based on their final positions, with every golfer making the cut guaranteed a payout. Even the player finishing 70th will earn $40,700.Professionals who fail to make the weekend are also compensated. The leading ten professionals who miss the cut will each receive $12,900. The next group of 20 professionals, including ties, will earn $10,750, while the remaining players who do not qualify for the final two rounds will receive $9,100.Although the tournament is held in the United Kingdom, The Open continues to award prize money in US dollars. Tournament organisers have followed this system since 2016, as the US dollar remains the standard currency across professional golf.This year’s championship also features several major storylines. McIlroy is aiming to add another Claret Jug to the one he won in 2014. Fleetwood hopes to become the first English golfer since Nick Faldo in 1992 to lift the famous trophy, while Scheffler is attempting to become the first player since Padraig Harrington in 2008 to successfully defend The Open title.With record prize money, a historic venue and some of the biggest names in golf competing for the title, the 2026 Open Championship promises an exciting conclusion to the men’s major season.