Overview
- Augusta National set the 2026 purse at $22.5 million after Friday’s cut, with the champion’s check confirmed at $4.5 million.
- The jump follows 2025’s $21 million pool and keeps the winner’s share at roughly 20%, up from the pre-2025 standard of 18%.
- CBS listed payouts from $4.5 million for first down to $56,700 for 50th, and all professionals who missed the cut receive $25,000.
- The new total narrows the gap with the Players Championship’s $25 million purse and remains above the 2025 U.S. Open’s $21.5 million.
- Prize money has surged from Horton Smith’s $1,500 in 1934 to today’s multi‑million sums, while winners also gain a lifetime Masters invite and other Augusta privileges.