The U.S. Women’s Open might be the purest test of class in women’s golf. That’s why all eyes were on World No. 1, Nelly Korda, entering this week with the second major championship of the season heading to famed Riviera Country Club. Though she’s been dominant on the LPGA Tour this season (and many years prior) and has three majors under her belt, this had been the one that had eluded her from even contending throughout her career. Yet, she entered Sunday’s final round tied for the lead and playing beautiful golf.
However, with In Gee Chun, Charley Hull, Sei Young Kim, and others all charging, she wasn’t going to be handed the trophy. Nor was she going to be handed the winner’s prize money from the record-high purse at this year’s U.S. Women’s Open. But it was Korda, who broke a gridlock atop the leaderboard with a birdie on the 17th hole on Sunday, who emerged victorious, ready to claim the winner’s prize.
U.S. Women’s Open winner’s prize money, total purse for 2026
Nelly Korda, the winner of the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open, will receive a record-setting $2.5 million this week at Riviera for their victory. That’s because the USGA is doling out a total $12.5 million purse, the largest ever in the history of this event. Those are also both substantially more than was handed out in the first major of the year, the Chevron Championship won by Korda, where she received $1.35 million from a $9 million purse.
U.S. Women’s Open payout distribution by finishing position
| Finishing Position | U.S. Women’s Open Prize Money |
|---|---|
| Winner | $2.5 million |
| 2nd | $1.35 million |
| 3rd | $829,547 |
| 4th | $581,535 |
| 5th | $484,363 |
| 6th | $429,478 |
| 7th | $387,191 |
| 8th | $346,775 |
| 9th | $313,844 |
| 10th | $288,272 |
| 11th | $263,075 |
| 12th | $243,241 |
| 13th | $226,651 |
| 14th | $209,188 |
| 15th | $194,219 |
| 16th | $181,745 |
| 17th | $171,766 |
| 18th | $161,787 |
| 19th | $151,807 |
| 20th | $141,828 |
| 21st | $133,221 |
| 22nd | $124,614 |
| 23rd | $116,257 |
| 24th | $108,523 |
| 25th | $101,787 |
| 26th | $96,049 |
| 27th | $91,683 |
| 28th | $87,816 |
| 29th | $84,074 |
| 30th | $80,332 |
| 31st | $76,590 |
| 32nd | $72,847 |
| 33rd | $69,105 |
| 34th | $65,737 |
| 35th | $62,993 |
| 36th | $60,249 |
| 37th | $57,629 |
| 38th | $55,134 |
| 39th | $52,640 |
| 40th | $50,145 |
| 41st | $47,650 |
| 42nd | $45,155 |
| 43rd | $42,660 |
| 44th | $40,166 |
| 45th | $37,671 |
| 46th | $35,426 |
| 47th | $33,180 |
| 48th | $31,060 |
| 49th | $29,812 |
| 50th | $28,565 |
| 51st | $27,816 |
| 52nd | $27,193 |
| 53rd | $26,694 |
| 54th | $26,444 |
| 55th | $26,195 |
| 56th | $25,945 |
| 57th | $25,696 |
| 58th | $25,446 |
| 59th | $25,197 |
| 60th | $24,947 |
| 61st | $24,698 |
| 62nd | $24,448 |
| 63rd | $24,199 |
The payouts at the U.S. Women’s Open, as mentioned, have reached new heights. Just a few years ago, the winner received less than the runner-up will in 2026, as both the victor and second-place finisher will receive more than $1 million in prize money. Furthermore, the Top 25 finishers before ties and split prize money are taken into account will clear $100,000 for the week at Riviera.
It’s also worth noting that, though 68 players made the cut, there were five amateurs who were in that group. They will not receive a payout or any prize money, which is why there are only 63 finishing positions listed for the payout distribution. However, it’s worth noting that any professional in the field this week will have their week made worthwhile in terms of prize money.
Every professional who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open receives prize money
As the qualification for the U.S. Women’s Open is one of the most difficult roads in the game of golf, it’s not surprising that the USGA also awards prize money (or, more officially, a stipend) to every player in the field. Even the professionals who failed to make the cut and play the weekend will receive $10,000 for their efforts that allowed them to simply qualify to play this week at Riviera.
U.S. Women’s Open purse and winners in the last 5 years
| Year | Winner | Winner’s Prize Money | Total Purse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 U.S. Women’s Open | Maja Stark | $2.4 million | $12 million |
| 2024 U.S. Women’s Open | Yuka Saso | $2.4 million | $12 million |
| 2023 U.S. Women’s Open | Allisen Corpuz | $2 million | $11 million |
| 2022 U.S. Women’s Open | Minjee Lee | $1.8 million | $10 million |
| 2021 U.S. Women’s Open | Yuka Saso | $1 million | $5.5 million |
The women’s game and, as such, the U.S. Women’s Open has also seen a huge influx of prize money in recent years. From 2019-21, the total purse was just $5.5 million with $1 million going to the winner. That’s not chump change by any stretch of the imagination, but you can see that the purse size has now more than doubled in recent years, as has the winner’s prize money.
One thing to note, though, is that the total purse increase for the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open did not move the prize money for the winner all that much, with just $100,000 more being given to the winner. That’s not nothing, of course, but it does feel like only a slight record-breaking winner’s share in comparison to the overall increase of the purse size.
