What Do You Get When You Win the U.S. Open? Trophy, Prize Money & More

With the 2023 U.S. Open teeing off this weekend, there's a lot on the line for the world's top golfers. Not only is there a large amount of money at stake, but the winner of the tournament also earns some special perks and rewards as well.

So what exactly does the winner of the U.S. Open stand to win? Let's dive in.

U.S. Open Winner Prize Money

As with all major golf tournaments, the U.S. Open rewards the winner with a large sum of money. The total winner's pool for the 2023 U.S. Open -- known as the purse -- is $20 million, which is an increased mark from last year ($17.5 million) and sets the record for the largest purse in golf major history.

Of that $20 million, $3.6 million goes directly to the winner. The second-place finisher gets $1.89 million, third place gets $1.23 Million and so on. The payouts decline all the way down to 60th place, which receives $36,852.

Of course, every shot can win or lose a golfer millions of dollars, making the pressure more intense.

What is the U.S. Open Trophy Called?

In addition to prize money, the U.S. Open winner also receives the U.S. Open Trophy. Keep in mind it is not the actual trophy, though, as that remains on display at the USGA Museum in New Jersey.

The victor is instead handed a full-size replica that they are able to own for the entirety of their reign. It is then returned after a year to be given to the next winner. They do not go home empty-handed after that, though, as they do get a smaller replica version to permanently keep in their trophy case.

One other tradition that the U.S. Open has is handing out a gold medal to each year's winner. It has been known as the Jack Nicklaus Medal since 2012 and features a design of the legendary golfer's swing on it. Nicklaus is notably one of four players to have won the U.S. Open four different times.

U.S. Open Winner Perks

The money and trophy are the main rewards for winning the U.S. Open, but they're not the only ones. U.S. Open winners get a 10-year exemption to play in the U.S. Open, which allows them to enter the annual tournament whenever they want during that span without needing to qualify for it.

Anyone who wins the U.S. Open also gets a five-year exemption to play in the other three golf majors. That means they'll be able to play in The Open, The Masters, and the PGA Championship for the next five years without needing to qualify. They also receive a five-year exemption for the Players Championship and a spot in January's Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

Winning the U.S. Open also provides a big boost to a golfer's ranking. A win nets him 100 world ranking points and 600 PGA Tour FedEx Cup points, which essentially keeps him in the top 50 of the world rankings for the next 18 months and enables him to play in elevated events with higher purses.

Beyond that, champions earn five-year Tour cards for both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.

Check out more of The Duel's U.S. Open content here:

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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