It's a big pay day for all who teed it up at Royal Birkdale.
Casey Jarvis of South Africa celebrates a birdie putt on the 18th green on day four of the the 154th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Sunday. Picture: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
New Zealander Ryan Fox didn’t just collect the famous Claret Jug by winning the Open at Royal Birkdale in England on Sunday, he also picked up the biggest pay cheque of his career.
Casey Jarvis, the young South African golfer who finished in a tie for sixth after delivering a wonderful round off 66 on Sunday, is also smiling all the way to the bank.
Thirty-nine year-old Fox, son of former All Blacks rugby great Grant, won $3.2 million (around R53 million) for winning the year’s last Major, by one stroke from Cameron Young on Sunday.
Jarvis, who won back-to-back titles on the DP World Tour a few months ago, including the SA Open, was the best-placed South African after the four rounds at Royal Birkdale.
He will pocket $550, 883 for finishing in a tie for sixth … around R9.1 million.
Four other South Africans made the halfway cut at the weekend, namely Hennie du Plessis, Shaun Norris, Aldrich Potgieter and MJ Daffue.
Du Plessis, in a tie for 46th place, will bank $51,707, or R854,000, while Norris, who finished in a tie for 53rd, will earn $45,183, or R746,000.
Potgieter, who was the last man to get into the tournament, as a replacement for the injured Louis Oosthuizen, will bank $43,025 (R710,000) for finishing in a tie for 59th, while Daffue (tied 71st) will be happy with $40,450, or R668,000.
The players who failed to make the halfway cut will not leave completely empty handed. Depending on their scores they will each earn between $12,900 and $9,100 for making it to Royal Birkdale.
Two South Africans fall into this group, namely Michael Hollick and Jayden Schaper. They only played the first two rounds before being cut after Friday’s round.
The other South African who teed it up at the Open and didn’t make the cut was Jack Buchanan, but he is not eligible for any prize money as he is still an amateur.
The total purse for the Open this year was $17.75 million, the smallest of the Majors.
The Masters and US Open had a total purse of $22.5 million, while the PGA Championship had a pursue of $20 million.
