The Senior Open Prize Money Payout 2024

An increased purse is available for the fifth senior Major of the season, which this year comes from Carnoustie

Alex Cejka with the trophy after winning the 2023 Senior Open
Alex Cejka beat Padraig Harrington in a playoff to claim the 2023 title at Royal Porthcawl
(Image credit: Getty Images)

For the third time in its history, The Senior Open takes place at Carnoustie in Scotland after it previously held the Major in 2010 and 2016.

In the most recent of those, Paul Broadhurst claimed his maiden senior Major title with a two-shot win over Scott McCarron, and he plays this week.

Last year, the tournament came from Royal Porthcawl, where Alex Cejka edged out Padraig Harrington in a dramatic playoff after a day of atrocious weather conditions of strong wind and heavy rain. Back then, the overall purse was a record $2.75m, with Cejka claiming $447,800.

There’s even more on offer this year, as players compete for a $2.85m purse, with the winner claiming an identical sum to last year. However, that is still significantly less than the senior Major that offered the most money this season – the US Senior Open, where Richard Bland won $720,000 from the $4m purse.

Regardless, the opportunity to claim one of the most prestigious prizes in seniors golf has, as ever, attracted many of the game’s legends as they compete at one of the world’s most historic courses.

Below is the prize money payout for the Senior Open.

Senior Open Prize Money Payout

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PositionPrize Money
1st$447,800
2nd$298,680
3rd$168,036
4th$134,292
5th$113,772
6th$93,936
7th$80,484
8th$67,032
9th$60,192
10th$53,694
11th$49,362
12th$45,942
13th$42,978
14th$41,154
15th$39,444
16th$37,620
17th$25,910
18th$34,542
19th$33,402
20th$32,490
21st$31,578
22nd$30,666
23rd$29,754
24th$28,842
25th$27,930
26th$27,018
27th$26,106
28th$25,194
29th$24,396
30th$23,598
31st$22,800
32nd$22,002
33rd$21,318
34th$20,634
35th$20,064
36th$19,494
37th$18,924
38th$18,354
39th$17,898
40th$17,328
41st$16,872
42nd$16,302
43rd$15,846
44th$15,276
45th$14,820
46th$14,364
47th$13,794
48th$13,338
49th$12,768
50th$12,312
51st$11,742
52nd$11,286
53rd$10,716
54th$10,260
55th$9,690
56th$9,234
57th$8,778
58th$8,436
59th$7,980
60th$7,638
61st$7,296
62nd$6,954
63rd$6,726
64th$6,384
65th$6,156
66th$5,814
67th$5,586
68th$5,358
69th$5,130
70th$4,901
71st$4,674
72nd$4,446
73rd$4,218
74th$3,990

Who Are The Star Names In The Seniors Open?

Bernhard Langer takes a shot in a practice round before the Senior Open

Bernhard Langer is looking for his fifth win in the tournament

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In total, 137 players are in the field for the Major, including defending champion Alex Cejka and the player he beat in 2023, Padraig Harrington.

Darren Clarke took the honors at Gleneagles in 2022, with Harrington once again the man to narrowly miss out, and he’s also playing, along with 2021 champion Stephen Dodd.

One of the legends of the game is Bernhard Langer, and the German is looking for his fifth Senior Open title this week, while there’s also a place for Paul Broadhurst, who won the tournament the last time it was played at Carnoustie, in 2016, and who Langer beat in 2019.

Other big names to look out for include Steven Alker, who has one senior Major win among seven top-10 finishes, 2018 Senior Open champion Miguel Angel Jiminez, former Masters champion Angel Cabrera and former World No.5 KJ Choi, who has four top-10 finishes in senior Majors but has yet to claim a title.

Adding to the star-studded nature of the field are players including four-time Major winner Ernie Els, 1999 Open champion Paul Lawrie, three-time Major winner Vijay Singh, who made the cut at The Masters in April, and Colin Montgomerie, who last week drew a defiant response from Tiger Woods after he had suggested he should retire.

Where Is The Senior Open Being Held In 2024?

The 2024 Senior Open is being held at Carnoustie in Scotland, the second time it has hosted the event after previous editions in 2010 and 2016. The course has also hosted The Open eight times, most recently in 2018.

Who Is Playing In The Senior Open?

Many of the game’s legends are in the field, including Bernhard Langer, who has won the event four times, former World No.1 Vijay Singh, Colin Montgomerie, who will be hoping for a big week in his homeland, and four-time Major winner Ernie Els.

Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.