Big money on offer at Carnoustie

Total prize money for the Open Championship at Carnoustie in two weeks’ time will be £4.2m, an increase of £200,000 on last year.

The winner of the claret jug will receive £750,000, an increase of £30,000 on the amount Tiger Woods collected for his successful defence of the title 12 months ago.

The world number one now has the chance to be the first player to win it three times in a row since Peter Thomson in 1956.

The average rise for the entire field of 156 players is 5% and Peter Dawson, chief executive of the Royal and Ancient Club, said: “Equating to US$8.4m, this increased prize money reflects our goal of maintaining the position of the Open Championship at the forefront of world golf.”

The first two majors of the season, the Masters and US Open, both had total prize money of £3.5m (US$7m).

Even the player who finishes in last place at Carnoustie will earn £2,100.

The course last staged the event in 1999 and winner Paul Lawrie’s reward then was £350,000 from a total purse of £2m.