How much prize money does the winner of the men’s Olympic golf tournament earn?

There is no official prize purse at the men’s Olympic golf tournament in Guyancourt, where Team USA’s Xander Schauffele ended day two in a good position to defend the crown he claimed in Tokyo in 2021.

However, while the event’s organisers are not offering any cash incentives to participants, golfers can still earn prize money through their national Olympic committees. What’s more, other non-financial benefits are up for grabs.

Schauffele neck and neck with Matsuyama, Fleetwood

Schauffele finished Friday’s play in a three-way tie for the lead, having shot a round-two 66 to move to 11 under par. The world No. 2, winner of the PGA Championship and the Open Championship in 2024, is level with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and Great Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood.

The USA’s three other three at Le Golf National - Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark - have ground to make up in the final two rounds if they’re to secure a medal. Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked men’s golfer, finished day two on six under, in a tie for 10th; Morikawa is two strokes further back, in joint 19th; and Clark is at one over, in joint 46th.

USOPC prize payouts for medal winners

While the Olympic golf tournament doesn’t come with a direct prize payout, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee is to give Team USA athletes across all sports $37,500 per gold medal. The USOPC is also offering competitors $22,500 for every silver, and $15,000 per bronze.

Other countries’ Olympic committees are also offering such incentives, with many ready to fork out significantly more than the USOPC. According to information collected by Forbes magazine, Hong Kong’s athletes are on the most money: $768,000 per gold medal. Fourteen other national committees are also prepared to pay six-figure sums to Olympic champions, including Italy, Malaysia and Spain, who have participants in the men’s Golf event.

Spaniard Jon Rahm finished day two at the front of the chasing pack, on nine under, while compatriot David Puig is five shots further back. Italians Guido Migliozzi and Matteo Manassero are four and seven shots off the lead, respectively. Malaysian Gavin Green is back on one over.

What else is at stake in Olympic golf tournament?

Money aside, success in the Olympic golf event is worth points in the Official World Golf Ranking, while the winner will receive a guaranteed spot at all four major tournaments in 2025. Such benefits are particularly useful to players who have left the PGA Tour for the breakaway, Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour.

Although they are still allowed to play in golf’s majors - the Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open and the Open Championship - they cannot earn world-ranking points in LIV Golf events. This has an evident negative effect on their OWGR position, which in turn affects their ability to qualify for majors: the world rankings are one of the main criteria used by the big four tournaments’ organisers when it comes to handing out spots at the event.

There are seven LIV Golfers involved in France: Abraham Ancer (Mexico), Adrian Meronk (Poland), Joaquín Niemann (Chile), Carlos Ortiz (Mexico), Mito Pereira (Chile), Puig (Spain) and Rahm (Spain).