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US Open Golf Prize Money 2019: Latest Predictions for Top Projected Earners
June 15, 2019
With one incredible round, Gary Woodland has taken control of this year's U.S. Open. But there's still plenty of golf to be played this weekend at Pebble Beach in California.
Woodland shot a 65 in Friday's second round, moving nine-under par for the tournament and two strokes ahead of second-place Justin Rose. It tied the lowest score for a U.S. Open round played at Pebble Beach, matching Rose (who shot a 65 in Thursday's first round) and Tiger Woods (2000).
Woodland's nine-under-par score also matches the lowest total at a U.S. Open held at Pebble Beach through 36 holes.
Now, the field has been cut to 79 golfers entering Saturday's third round. While Woodland has the lead after an impressive opening to the tournament, there are plenty of other talented golfers also at the top of the leaderboard who could surpass him over the next two days.
Prize Money
Total Purse: $12,500,000
1. $2,250,000
2. $1,350,000
3. $846,799
4. $593,629
5. $494,436
6. $438,409
7. $395,244
8. $353,988
9. $320,371
10. $294,268
Source: Golf News Net
Top Projected Earners
1. Rory McIlroy
McIlroy has been steady through the first two rounds, putting him in a solid position to make a run at his second U.S. Open championship. He shot a 68 on Thursday followed by a 69 on Friday, making him one of only four golfers to shoot below 70 on each of the first two days.
With the way McIlroy has played of late, he seems to have set himself up nicely to surge up to the top of the leaderboard by the end of Sunday's final round. He's currently tied for fourth place, four strokes behind Woodland.
"Really happy with my position going into the weekend," McIlroy said, according to PGATour.com's Ben Everill. "Two rounds in the 60s, if another couple rounds in the 60s, I'll take my chances."
It's been eight years since McIlroy's only previous U.S. Open championship, which was also his first of four career majors victories. The veteran will add to that total by winning this weekend's tournament.
McIlroy will carry the momentum from his victory at the RBC Canadian Open and his first two rounds over into strong play this weekend. It's likely that his best is still yet to come.
2. Brooks Koepka
Koepka is going to fall short of his third straight U.S. Open victory, but he's going to make things interesting this weekend.
Like McIlroy, Koepka had a consistent start to the tournament, shooting a 69 in each of the first two rounds. He is tied for sixth at four-under par, five strokes behind Woodland.
"I feel great, I'm excited. I've got a chance," Koepka said, according to GolfChannel.com's Will Gray. "That's all you can ask for. I just need to make a few more putts. Sometimes the hole just needs to open up."
Expect Koepka to make the majority of those putts when the pressure is on, and while he won't become the first golfer to win three straight U.S. Open titles since 1901-03, he's going to be close with a second-place finish.
And that will still be an impressive feat. Koepka has won four majors, all since the start of 2017, and there should be more to come throughout his career.
3. Gary Woodland
With Woodland's historic start, it would be a massive collapse if he fell much further down the leaderboard than this. He won't close out the win, but he should play another two competitive rounds of golf to give him a solid third-place finish at Pebble Beach.
Woodland has been in this position before. In the 2018 PGA Championship, he held the lead entering the third round but finished in a tie for sixth. But he benefited from the experience, especially while playing alongside golfers such as Koepka and Woods.
"You learn you have to stay within yourself. You can't get caught up in what's going on around you," Woodland said, according to the Associated Press' Eddie Pells (h/t Yahoo.com). "Obviously there's a lot more noise going on. Playing with Tiger on Sunday, I'd never seen anything like that."
Again, Woodland won't secure the victory. But he will still play two solid rounds this weekend, finish third and build momentum toward eventually notching his first majors win.