Heading into the final round with a six-stroke lead, it appeared that Rory McIlroy was well on his way to cruising to victory at the British Open. A couple of early bogeys from McIlroy and a strong charge from Sergio Garcia added a bit of suspense, but McIlroy settled in and closed strong to seal the wire-to-wire victory. The win added a third major championship to McIlroy’s resume and leaves him needing just a win at the Masters to complete the career grand slam. The victory also added another significant deposit into McIlroy’s bank account. In addition to the Claret Jug, McIlroy will take home $1.66 million in prize money.
2014 British Open payout: Rory McIlroy takes home $1.66 million in prize money
Rory McIlroy added the third leg of the career grand slam with a win at the British Open. He was also rewarded handsomely for his effort.
With a Nike endorsement contract worth more than $200 million, McIlroy is already one of the highest-earning athletes in the world. Although he’s made a lot of money off the course, his on-course earnings haven’t been too shabby either. The $1.66 million he took home on Sunday moves his career on-course earnings to more than $31 million. Major championships always offer some of the biggest payouts in golf, but McIlroy’s win is significantly more than what Phil Mickelson took home last year. The PGA of America and the PGA Tour increased the purses in marquee events this year and the various groups running the majors opted to do the same. The R&A, which runs the British Open, increased the purse this year with the winner’s share moving from $1.4 million to $1.66 million.
The British Open
Rory wasn’t the only McIlroy to cash in on Sunday. When he was 15 years old, his dad and three friends each bet £100 that Rory would win the British Open before he turned 26. With the win, the 25-year-old McIlroy won the bet for his dad and friends. With 500-1 odds, the bet will pay out more than $300,000.
Garcia made a valiant effort and kept the pressure on McIlroy throughout the round. He opened Sunday seven strokes off the lead and got as close as two until a costly bogey at No. 15 likely eliminated any chance he had of catching McIlroy down the stretch. Garcia still managed to finish in a tie for second place with Rickie Fowler. The two will split the prize money for second and third place, with each earning $785,910. The 34-year-old Garcia has now made just less than $49 million in on-course earnings.
Although most of the field wasn’t a threat to McIlroy on Sunday, a top-20 finish will still earn a considerable payday. The top 18 finishers will all take home a six-figure bonus, with the top eight winning at least $250,000. That group includes Adam Scott. He finished tied for fifth and earned $359,639 in prize money.
Here are the payout totals for the field that made the cut:
| Place | Player | Score | Payout |
| 1 | Rory McIlroy | -17 | $1,665,788 |
| T2 | Sergio Garcia | -15 | $785,910 |
| T2 | Rickie Fowler | -15 | $785,910 |
| 4 | Jim Furyk | -13 | $478,380 |
| T5 | Marc Leishman | -12 | $359,639 |
| T5 | Adam Scott | -12 | $359,639 |
| T7 | Charl Schwartzel | -11 | $263,536 |
| T7 | Edoardo Molinari | -11 | $263,536 |
| T9 | Shane Lowry | -10 | $192,492 |
| T9 | Graeme McDowell | -10 | $192,492 |
| T9 | Victor Dubuisson | -10 | $192,492 |
| T12 | Ryan Moore | -9 | $144,654 |
| T12 | Robert Karlsson | -9 | $144,654 |
| T12 | Dustin Johnson | -9 | $144,654 |
| T15 | Francesco Molinari | -8 | $117,318 |
| T15 | Stephen Gallacher | -8 | $117,318 |
| T15 | David Howell | -8 | $117,318 |
| 18 | George Coetzee | -7 | $105,073 |
| T19 | Angel Cabrera | -6 | $93,968 |
| T19 | Chris Kirk | -6 | $93,968 |
| T19 | Keegan Bradley | -6 | $93,968 |
| T19 | Matteo Manassero | -6 | $93,968 |
| T23 | Chris Wood | -5 | $78,876 |
| T23 | Phil Mickelson | -5 | $78,876 |
| T23 | Justin Rose | -5 | $78,876 |
| T26 | Thomas Bjorn | -4 | $65,350 |
| T26 | Ben Martin | -4 | $65,350 |
| T26 | Brian Harman | -4 | $65,350 |
| T26 | Byeong-Hun An | -4 | $65,350 |
| T26 | Jimmy Walker | -4 | $65,350 |
| T26 | Darren Clarke | -4 | $65,350 |
| T32 | D.A. Points | -3 | $52,964 |
| T32 | Hunter Mahan | -3 | $52,964 |
| T32 | David Hearn | -3 | $52,964 |
| T32 | Kristoffer Broberg | -3 | $52,964 |
| T36 | Louis Oosthuizen | -2 | $46,271 |
| T36 | Jordan Spieth | -2 | $46,271 |
| T36 | Branden Grace | -2 | $46,271 |
| T39 | Brendon Todd | -1 | $36,253 |
| T39 | Koumei Oda | -1 | $36,253 |
| T39 | Henrik Stenson | -1 | $36,253 |
| T39 | Hideki Matsuyama | -1 | $36,253 |
| T39 | Gary Woodland | -1 | $36,253 |
| T39 | Thongchai Jaidee | -1 | $36,253 |
| T39 | Kevin Stadler | -1 | $36,253 |
| T39 | Marc Warren | -1 | $36,253 |
| T47 | Stewart Cink | E | $27,358 |
| T47 | Gregory Bourdy | E | $27,358 |
| T47 | Paul Casey | E | $27,358 |
| T47 | Zach Johnson | E | $27,358 |
| T51 | Tom Watson | 1 | $25,030 |
| T51 | Jason Dufner | 1 | $25,030 |
| T51 | Bill Haas | 1 | $25,030 |
| T54 | Matt Kuchar | 2 | $23,791 |
| T54 | Matt Jones | 2 | $23,791 |
| T54 | Kevin Na | 2 | $23,791 |
| T54 | Kevin Streelman | 2 | $23,791 |
| T58 | Jamie McLeary | 3 | $22,808 |
| T58 | Ryan Palmer | 3 | $22,808 |
| T58 | John Senden | 3 | $22,808 |
| T58 | Jason Day | 3 | $22,808 |
| T58 | Chris Rodgers | 3 | $22,808 |
| T58 | Brandt Snedeker | 3 | $22,808 |
| T64 | Billy Hurley III | 4 | $22,040 |
| T64 | Thorbjorn Olesen | 4 | $22,040 |
| T64 | Luke Donald | 4 | $22,040 |
| T67 | Charley Hoffman | 5 | $21,613 |
| T67 | Brooks Koepka | 5 | $21,613 |
| 69 | Tiger Woods | 6 | $21,356 |
| 70 | Martin Kaymer | 8 | $21,185 |
| 71 | Matt Every | 9 | $21,015 |
| 72 | Rhein Gibson | 10 | $20,844 |
See More:
