British Open Preview: Golf
$1.29 million, about a $60,000 increase from the previous year will be the prize money for the winner of the 150th British Open.
At St. Andrews from July 15-18, the event will be held, with $759,000 pounds for the runner-up and $496,000 for third place, a total purse of $7.3 million.
The pound has weakened position against the dollar and the euro has been taken into account, says Royal and Ancient Club chief executive Peter Dawson.
“The Open Championship sits at the forefront of world golf and it is appropriate that our prize fund reflects that position in the game, over the last 18 months we have had to take account of the pound’s weakened position against the U.S. dollar and the euro, and we have increased our prize money accordingly”, Dawson said Tuesday.
To rest an ailing right shoulder, David Toms has withdrawn from the British Open, and Anthony Kim formally pulled out as he recovers from thumb surgery.
At St. Andrews, the Royal & Ancient said Tuesday they were replaced in the field by Ricky Barnes and Davis Love III.
Since the spring, Toms has been coping with a bone spur in his rotator cuff, and he has been trying to get by without surgery. His fourth straight tournament is the AT&T National. Toms wanted to wait as long as possible to see how he was feeling, but not so long that it affected the travel of whoever replaced him, said his agent, Adam Young.
In May, Kim had surgery and never planned to play the Open. At the Canadian Open, he hopes to return a week later.
