Justin Leonard finished -12 and took 26% of the purse. That $418,875 is worth about $867,001 in 2026 dollars.
How the 1997 Open Championship purse was split
Every paid player in finishing order. The top 10 took 74% of the money, and the dashed line marks the smallest check.
1997 Open Championship prize money for every player
Final positions and prize money, with what the same untied position paid the year before.
| Pos | Player | To par | Last year | Prize money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Leonard | -12 | $310,000 | $418,875 +35% |
| T2 | Jesper Parnevik | -9 | $193,750 | $251,325 |
| T2 | Darren Clarke | -9 | $193,750 | $251,325 |
| 4 | Jim Furyk | -5 | $116,250 | $150,795 +30% |
| T5 | Stephen Ames | -4 | $77,500 | $104,719 |
| T5 | Padraig Harrington | -4 | $77,500 | $104,719 |
| T7 | Fred Couples | -3 | $54,250 | $68,137 |
| T7 | Peter O'Malley | -3 | $54,250 | $68,137 |
| T7 | Eduardo Romero | -3 | $54,250 | $68,137 |
| T10 | Mark Calcavecchia | -2 | $40,715 | |
| T10 | Tom Kite | -2 | $40,715 | |
| T10 | Davis Love III | -2 | $40,715 | |
| T10 | Tom Watson | -2 | $40,715 | |
| T10 | Ernie Els | -2 | $40,715 | |
| T10 | Frank Nobilo | -2 | $40,715 | |
| T10 | Robert Allenby | -2 | $40,715 | |
| T10 | Shigeki Maruyama | -2 | $40,715 | |
| T10 | Lee Westwood | -2 | $40,715 | |
| T10 | Retief Goosen | -2 | $40,715 | |
| T20 | Stuart Appleby | -1 | $24,295 | |
| T20 | José María Olazábal | -1 | $24,295 | |
| T20 | Brad Faxon | -1 | $24,295 | |
| T20 | Mark James | -1 | $24,295 | |
| T24 | Jay Haas | E | $17,362 | |
| T24 | Tom Lehman | E | $17,362 | |
| T24 | Phil Mickelson | E | $17,362 | |
| T24 | Ian Woosnam | E | $17,362 | |
| T24 | Colin Montgomerie | E | $17,362 | |
| T24 | Tiger Woods | E | $17,362 | |
| T24 | David Russell | E | $17,362 | |
| T24 | Peter Lonard | E | $17,362 | |
| 32 | Mark McNulty | +1 | $12,158 | $14,661 +21% |
| T33 | Rodger Davis | +2 | $13,879 | |
| T33 | Jonathan Lomas | +2 | $13,879 | |
| T33 | David Duval | +2 | $13,879 | |
| T36 | Greg Norman | +3 | $13,320 | |
| T36 | Andrew Magee | +3 | $13,320 | |
| T38 | Mark O'Meara | +4 | $12,650 | |
| T38 | Michael Bradley | +4 | $12,650 | |
| T38 | Bernhard Langer | +4 | $12,650 | |
| T38 | Vijay Singh | +4 | $12,650 | |
| T38 | John Kernohan | +4 | $12,650 | |
| T38 | Raymond Russell | +4 | $12,650 | |
| T44 | David Tapping | +5 | $9,920 | $11,812 |
| T44 | Jerry Kelly | +5 | $9,920 | $11,812 |
| T44 | José Coceres | +5 | $9,920 | $11,812 |
| T44 | Curtis Strange | +5 | $9,920 | $11,812 |
| T48 | Steve Jones | +6 | $11,226 | |
| T48 | Jim Payne | +6 | $11,226 | |
| T48 | Richard Boxall | +6 | $11,226 | |
| T51 | Peter Mitchell | +7 | $10,315 | |
| T51 | Ángel Cabrera | +7 | $10,315 | |
| T51 | Wayne Riley | +7 | $10,315 | |
| T51 | Greg Turner | +7 | $10,315 | |
| T51 | Nick Faldo | +7 | $10,315 | |
| T51 | Peter Senior | +7 | $10,315 | |
| T51 | Corey Pavin | +7 | $10,315 | |
| T51 | Jeff Maggert | +7 | $10,315 | |
| 59 | Payne Stewart | +8 | $8,486 | $9,718 +15% |
| T60 | Jack Nicklaus | +9 | $9,634 | |
| T60 | Barclay Howard | +9 | Not known | |
| T62 | Jamie Spence | +10 | $9,425 | |
| T62 | Tom Purtzer | +10 | $9,425 | |
| T62 | Steve Stricker | +10 | $9,425 | |
| T62 | Peter Teravainen | +10 | $9,425 | |
| T66 | Paul McGinley | +11 | $7,982 | $9,131 |
| T66 | Per-Ulrik Johansson | +11 | $7,982 | $9,131 |
| T66 | Gary Clark | +11 | $7,982 | $9,131 |
| 69 | Tommy Tolles | +12 | $7,828 | $8,964 +15% |
| 70 | Billy Andrade | +14 | $7,750 | $8,880 +15% |
| MC | Paul Azinger | +15 | $0 | |
| MC | Seve Ballesteros | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Phil Blackmar | +9 | $0 | |
| MC | Gordon Brand Jr. | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Mark Brooks | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | John Cook | +9 | $0 | |
| MC | Steve Elkington | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Lee Janzen | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | David Frost | +16 | $0 | |
| MC | Sandy Lyle | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Loren Roberts | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Sam Torrance | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Bob Tway | +9 | $0 | |
| MC | Gary Player | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Nick Price | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Craig Stadler | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Miguel Angel Martin | +9 | $0 | |
| MC | Dudley Hart | +13 | $0 | |
| MC | Paul Broadhurst | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Paul Stankowski | +14 | $0 | |
| MC | Glen Day | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Jean Van de Velde | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Scott Dunlap | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Brian Watts | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Wayne Westner | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Mark Wiebe | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Peter Baker | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Thomas Bjørn | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Craig Watson | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Paul Curry | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Scott McCarron | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Peter Hedblom | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Andrew Coltart | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Carl Mason | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Mark Roe | +13 | $0 | |
| MC | Miguel Angel Jiménez | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Mike Miller | +12 | $0 | |
| MC | Hirofumi Miyase | +12 | $0 | |
| MC | Costantino Rocca | +8 | $0 | |
| MC | Robert Damron | +7 | $0 | |
| MC | Russell Claydon | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Andrew Crerar | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Dean Robertson | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Robert Karlsson | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Ken Duke | +14 | $0 | |
| MC | Alex Cejka | +19 | $0 | |
| MC | Ignacio Garrido | +9 | $0 | |
| MC | Joost Steenkamer | +9 | $0 | |
| MC | Michael Long | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Richard Green | +13 | $0 | |
| MC | Grant Dodd | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Per Haugsrud | +12 | $0 | |
| MC | Gary Orr | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Thomas Gögele | +9 | $0 | |
| MC | David Howell | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Van Phillips | +9 | $0 | |
| MC | Larry Batchelor | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Jeff Remesy | +12 | $0 | |
| MC | Dennis Edlund | +22 | $0 | |
| MC | Klas Eriksson | +13 | $0 | |
| MC | Shigenori Mori | +14 | $0 | |
| MC | Jong-Duck Kim | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Ross McFarlane | +12 | $0 | |
| MC | Pierre Fulke | +6 | $0 | |
| MC | Raphael Jacquelin | +17 | $0 | |
| MC | Brendan McGovern | +16 | $0 | |
| MC | Cameron Clark | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Phillip Hinton | +13 | $0 | |
| MC | Nobuhito Sato | +21 | $0 | |
| MC | Gary Murphy | +14 | $0 | |
| MC | Warren Bladon | +10 | $0 | |
| MC | Daniel Olsson | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Mardan Mamat | +16 | $0 | |
| MC | Shaun Webster | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Andrew Sandywell | +13 | $0 | |
| MC | Steven Young | +17 | $0 | |
| MC | Mike Bradley | +11 | $0 | |
| MC | Gaurav Ghei | +20 | $0 | |
| MC | James Miller | +22 | $0 | |
| MC | Yestyn Taylor | +15 | $0 | |
| MC | Steven Bottomley | +18 | $0 | |
| MC | Craig Parry | +7 | $0 | |
| WD | Joe Ozaki | +5 | Not known | |
| WD | Chris Perry | +9 | Not known | |
| WD | Yoshinori Kaneko | +13 | Not known | |
| WD | Ian Baker-Finch | +21 | Not known |
The Open winner's share over time
This year is labeled. Full tournament history →
1997 Open Championship payout FAQ
How much did the winner of the 1997 Open Championship get?
Justin Leonard won $418,875 from a $1,600,000 purse.
What was the 1997 Open Championship purse?
$1,600,000.
How much did last place get at the 1997 Open Championship?
The smallest check was $8,880, to Billy Andrade (70).
How many players made the cut at the 1997 Open Championship?
70 players made the cut and finished, and 82 players missed it.