British Open Prize Money Soars, Champion to Win $1.8 Million

The British Open champion at St. Andrews next month will win 1.15 million pounds ($1.8 million), an increase of 175,000 pounds ($275,000) from 2014.

The R&A announced on Wednesday that overall prize money for the third major of the year has soared by $1.42 million to almost $10 million.

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson says "this increase is appropriate for an event with The Open's global appeal."

The British Open starts on July 16. Rory McIlroy is the defending champion.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.