Do Golfers Who Miss the U.S. Open Cut Get Paid?

The U.S. Open is one of the four major championships of men's professional golf. And like all of those majors, it has a cut at the midway point — following the second of four rounds. The golfers who contend in the U.S. Open make a lot of money. But what about the golfers who miss the cut? Do they receive any payout from the U.S. Open prize fund? If so, how much?

Let's answer those questions one at a time:

Do golfers get paid if they miss the cut in the U.S. Open? Yes!

How much money do golfers who miss that cut get? The current amount is $10,000. That amount changes over time, of course, going up over the long term as the size of the overall U.S. Open purse increases.

The $10,000 payout is only made to professional golfers who miss the cut. Amateur golfers in the field (whether they make or miss the cut) do not receive payouts from the tournament purse.

Now, $10,000 sounds like a pretty good paycheck for playing only two days of a four-round tournament. But it's really just about the United States Golf Association covering all or some of the expenses incurred by those golfers traveling to play in the USGA's national championship.

How does it compare to the money made by golfers who make the cut in the U.S. Open? Not well! At the 2023 U.S. Open, the winner received $3,600,000 — 3.6 million dollars. The 10th-place finishers got $435,018. And the golfer who made the cut but then finished in last place was paid $42,080.

Related articles:

• What is the U.S. Open cut rule?
• Do golfers who miss the cut at The Masters get paid?
• What is the 10-shot rule?