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U.S. OPEN · 1997

1997 U.S. Open prize money

Ernie Els won the 1997 U.S. Open on 15 June 1997 and took $465,000. Below is every one of the nineteen cheques paid that week, in finishing order, down to the $5,275 Vijay Singh collected for finishing T77.

WINNER Ernie Els
WHAT IT PAID $465,000
PLAYERS PAID 19
SMALLEST CHEQUE $5,275

Every cheque at the 1997 U.S. Open

15 June 1997

19 paid of 26 held
Every player paid at the 1997 U.S. Open, in finishing order, with the country played for, the score and the cheque.
PLACE PLAYER COUNTRY TO PAR TOTAL PRIZE MONEY
1 Ernie Els RSA -4 276 $465,000
3 Tom Lehman USA -2 278 $172,828
T5 Jay Haas USA 2 282 $79,875
T5 Jim Furyk USA 2 282 $79,875
T5 Olin Browne USA 2 282 $79,875
T13 Stewart Cink USA 4 284 $47,349
T16 Davis Love III USA 5 285 $40,087
T16 José María Olazábal ESP 5 285 $40,087
T19 Lee Westwood ENG 6 286 $31,916
T19 Tiger Woods USA 6 286 $31,916
T28 Paul Goydos USA 8 288 $17,443
T36 Justin Leonard USA 9 289 $13,483
T36 Steve Stricker USA 9 289 $13,483
T36 Stuart Appleby AUS 9 289 $13,483
T43 Fred Funk USA 10 290 $10,491
T43 Phil Mickelson USA 10 290 $10,491
T52 Fred Couples USA 13 293 $7,139
T60 Chris Smith USA 15 295 $6,271
T77 Vijay Singh FIJ 21 301 $5,275

The top of the ladder

Ernie Els $465k Tom Lehman $173k Jay Haas $80k Jim Furyk $80k Olin Browne $80k Stewart Cink $47k Davis Love III $40k José María Olazábal $40k Lee Westwood $32k Tiger Woods $32k Paul Goydos $17k Justin Leonard $13k Steve Stricker $13k Stuart Appleby $13k Fred Funk $10k

The fifteen biggest cheques of the week took $1,137,191 between them, against $29,176 shared by the other four players paid.

The nineteen cheques above come to $1,166,367 between them. We hold 26 players for the week in all, so seven of them took no money: a missed cut, a withdrawal or an amateur place. A place written as T4 is a tie, and everyone tied for it was paid the same.

The other U.S. Open years

31 editions, 1996 to 2026

2026202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996

The 1996 ladder is the edition before this one. The 1998 ladder is the one after. The U.S. Open roll of honour carries every champion and what each win paid.

The rest of the 1997 golf year

sixteen other tournaments we hold a 1997 prize list for, in the order they were played.

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AmFarmers Insurance OpenChrysler Classic of TucsonGenesis InvitationalArnold Palmer InvitationalPLAYERS ChampionshipRBC HeritageWyndham ChampionshipMemorial TournamentKemper OpenBMW ChampionshipOpen ChampionshipInternationalBuick OpenPGA ChampionshipMichelob Championship at Kingsmill

The biggest cheque of 1997 was the $470,000 paid at the PGA Championship, won by Davis Love III.

Frequently asked questions

Who won the 1997 U.S. Open?

Ernie Els, on 15 June 1997. The win paid $465,000.

How much did the 1997 U.S. Open pay out?

The nineteen cheques on this page come to $1,166,367 between them, from $465,000 at the top down to $5,275.

What was the smallest cheque at the 1997 U.S. Open?

$5,275, which Vijay Singh collected for finishing T77.

How many players were paid at the 1997 U.S. Open?

nineteen. We hold 26 players for that week in all, so seven of them took no money: a missed cut, a withdrawal or an amateur place.

Where to next

The rest of the golf money

Golf tournament prize money carries the roll of honour for every event we hold, and golf earnings ranks the players by what they have won across their careers. Where a field is paid for every round it survives rather than once at the end, see Champions League prize money, and for a single event that pays a whole field on one night, World Championship darts prize money.