World’s golfers battle for £382,155 money as The British Open kicks off in Liverpool

The world’s best golfers will be preparing to make their way to Liverpool ahead of The Open Championship this weekend.

Hoylake will see Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy try to win a fifth major as his search for another grand trophy continues. The British Open is the oldest major on the circuit and one where tee times can massively disrupt how well you can do due to the British weather being so unpredictable.

This weekend is unlikely to be any different with Saturday offering little other than consistent rain. However, McIlroy is very hopeful that his recent success at the Scottish Open will set him up well for victory in Merseyside on Sunday.

McIlroy had never won a Scottish Open before Sunday but said: “It’s nice to have the validation. It’s great racking up top fives and top 10s, but it’s much nicer heading away with a trophy on a Sunday afternoon. “It’s been a long six months since I won in Dubai. I’ve given myself tons of chances and hopefully this win breaks the seal for me, especially going into next week as well.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming Open Championship, however, this year’s winner is set to go home with much more than just the prestigious Claret Jug as the tournament organisers announced a significant increase in prize money.

The tournament will begin on Thursday 20 July 2023 and will conclude with the final rounds on Sunday 23 July. Liverpool’s Hoylake will act as host for the event, marking the twelfth time it has welcomed the Open Championship to its grounds.

What is the overall prize money?
The total purse for the Open will be $16.5 million (£1.6m), which is an overall increase of $2.5m (£1,9m) from 2022. This increase means the winner will earn $500,000 (£382,155) more than Cam Smith was awarded for his efforts in St Andrews.

Speaking about the increase, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers in a statement said “our aim is to ensure the Open remains at the pinnacle of world golf and we have almost doubled the prize fund since 2016,”

“While we are seeing substantial increases in prize money across the men’s professional game, we are fulfilling our wider obligation to the sport by elevating the AIG Women’s Open, strengthening pathways in the elite amateur game and encouraging more people around the world to play golf. We believe that getting this balance right is vital to the long-term future of the sport.”

Here is the full breakdown of who will earn what in Liverpool this weekend: