A weakened pound and a desire to maintain the Open’s status as the premier major championship has led to the first rise in prize money in four years, the R&A has announced.
The 2010 champion will carry off a record £850,000 cheque a week on Sunday with the total prize fund raised to £4.8 million.
The fund had been static since 2006 at £4.2m, with the first prize at £750,000.
It means even just making the cut at the Open will guarantee a player £11,000 — only £1500 less than Jack Nicklaus took for his win at St Andrews in 1978.
R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said, “The Open Championship sits at the forefront of world golf and it is appropriate that our prize fund reflects that position in the game.”
The R&A received final notification that two American Ryder Cup players, David Toms and Anthony Kim, will not be able to take part this year due to injury.
Toms has been struggling with a shoulder injury for most of the season while Kim underwent surgery to his thumb with the intention of recovering in time for the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in October.
In line with the R&A’s recent policy the pair are replaced by the next two players not otherwise exempt from the Official Golf World Ranking, which means Ricky Barnes (64th) and Davis Love III (68th) will be at St Andrews.
Barnes made his one and only Open appearance when he qualified as US Amateur champion in 2003, but for the veteran Love the late reprieve allows him to continue a streak of never having missed an Open since he made his debut at Muirfield in 1987.