This year's Open Championship winner will be paid in U.S. dollars "rather than sterling," the organizer said, according to the BBC. A fall in the value of the pound caused the Royal & Ancient Golf Club to "consider the change." On Wednesday, R&A CEO Martin Slumbers said that the move was because the U.S. dollar is the "most widely adopted currency for prize money in golf." The event begins on July 20, and the winner will pick up $1.85M from a prize pool of $10.25M. Royal Birkdale will host the championship for a 10th time. Although the pound's value dropped after the Brexit vote, it has "strengthened against the dollar" since Jan. 1. A pound bought $1.29 on Tuesday, compared with $1.23 on the first day of '17 (BBC, 7/5). GOLF.com's Josh Berhow reported earlier this year, Slumbers said that the pound's decreased value post-Brexit would have a "serious impact" when considering the currency of the Open's purse. Brooks Koepka received $2.16M for winning the U.S. Open last month, and Sergio Garcia won $1.98M at the Masters. Last year's Open champion, Henrik Stenson, received about $1.53M (GOLF.com, 7/5).
