Golf: Open prize bigger than ever

The winner of the Open golf championship at Royal Lytham in July will receive £600,000 - an increase of £100,000 on the sum pocketed by Tiger Woods at St Andrews last year.

Total prize money goes up by a third to £3.3m, with every player who survives the halfway cut receiving at least £8,000.

Lytham staged the last of its nine Open championships only five years ago. Tom Lehman won £200,000 then out of a purse which totalled £1.4m.

Just 22 years ago Seve Ballesteros’ reward for the first of his three Open titles was just £15,000.

The latest increase moves the Open closer to the levels of the three majors in America.

The Masters earlier this month became the first to offer a million-dollar first prize,

Tiger Woods winning the equivalent of £720,000.

Last year’s US Open and US PGA - both won by Woods as well, of course - had winner’s cheques of £530,539 and £598,404 respectively.

Peter Dawson, secretary of the Royal and Ancient Club, said today that it was all systems go for the Open despite the foot and mouth outbreak.

‘‘We are well-informed of the situation as it affects Lytham and are aware that there may be measures that we have to put in place in order to eliminate any risk to livestock,’’ he said.

‘‘These will be carefully considered over the next few weeks, but there is no doubt in our minds that the Open will take place.’’

Lytham, just south of Blackpool, lies outside the ‘‘infected area’’ which takes in Cumbria and a large part of Lancashire and in such a case the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food recommends that the public should be permitted access to areas of non-agricultural land such as golf courses.

However, a Government factsheet points out: ‘‘Persons who have contact with Foot and Mouth Disease susceptible species are advised there is a risk that the disease may be passed on through contact at organised events.

‘‘Though the risk of this indirect transmission is low there are a number of steps that can be taken to further reduce the risk.’’

The R&A will, therefore, assess what measures to put in place in car parks and at the course to eliminate the risk.