Pga Championship Prize Money Rises to Record $20.5 Million
Pga championship prize money has climbed to a record $20.5 million for the 2026 event at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa. That is up from $19 million last year, and the winner’s check jumps to $3.69 million.
Josh Berhow reported the breakdown on Saturday, and the numbers reach deep into the leaderboard. The runner-up gets $2.214 million, third place takes $1.394 million, fourth earns $984,000 and fifth gets $820,000.
Aronimink Golf Club payout
The purse increase comes with a full payout list for the 82 players who made the cut. Players who missed the PGA cut received $4,300 each, while the top finishers are playing for seven-figure checks that separate the leaders from the rest of the field in a hurry.
Alex Smalley began the final round with a two-shot lead at six under, so the money race sat beside the golf race at the same venue. That lead put him in position to claim the top share of the record purse if he held on through Sunday.
2026 PGA Championship purse
The new total also passes the tournament’s previous $19 million purse, and the source places the event in the second men’s major of the season. Last month, Rory McIlroy claimed $4.5 million from the $22.5 million Masters purse, a useful comparison for how large the biggest checks in men’s golf have become.
For players near the top at Aronimink, the jump is immediate and concrete. Third place alone is worth more than the winner’s share from many standard tour stops, and even fifth place carries $820,000 before the rest of the 82-man payout sheet is filled in.
Final Round at Aronimink
The final round at Aronimink Golf Club was scheduled to be shown on CBS from 1-7 p.m. ET on Sunday, giving the field one last window to move up the board before the record purse is split. Smalley’s six-under total and two-shot cushion made that chase worth tracking from the first tee onward.
