US Senior Open 2026 at Scioto Country Club brings an $800,000 winner’s share from a $4 million purse, and every dollar counts toward the Charles Schwab Cup points list. Padraig Harrington won the event in 2025, but he enters this week only one stroke back of Stewart Cink.
The purse has stayed at $4 million for a third straight year, making it the highest payout on PGA Tour Champions this season. The winner gets $800,000, while the runner-up is set for around $430,000 and third place should take roughly $250,000.
Scioto Country Club payout pressure
The money line starts before ties are sorted out, and the payout table assumes 60 players make the cut. That means the field does not need to win to leave with meaningful earnings; players who make the cut are guaranteed at least $7,500.
That structure gives the middle of the leaderboard real weight, especially with Stewart Cink leading and Harrington close enough to turn the final rounds into a direct chase. The field also includes Ian Poulter, Alex Cejka, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Steven Alker, Stephen Ames, Henrik Stenson, Colin Montgomerie and Ernie Els, so the finish has a deep pool of players chasing the same prize table.
Charles Schwab Cup points race
All money earned this week counts toward the Charles Schwab Cup points list, so the payout table does more than hand out prize money. It feeds the season race in a way that makes each finishing place matter, from the $800,000 top prize down to the minimum $7,500 for those who make the cut.
For Harrington, the complication is simple: he is the defending champion, yet he is still chasing Cink in 2026. For everyone else in the field, the remaining rounds decide whether they leave Columbus with a payday near the top of the chart or only the cut-line minimum.
Columbus finish decides the purse
The open question is whether the full payout table changes if fewer or more than 60 players make the cut. Until the final scores are in, the clearest number in the event is still the same one: $800,000 to the winner, with Scioto Country Club setting the price of the week.
