THIS year's Open champion will receive more than £1m in prize money as the first prize up for grabs reaches seven figures for the first time.

The R&A have announced that the victor of the 144th Open, which takes place at St Andrews next month, will win £1.15m, up £175,000 from the total picked up by Rory McIlroy at Royal Liverpool last year. The total prize fund will rise to £6.3m, an increase of £900,000 on the 2014 total.

Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “The Open is one of the world’s pre-eminent sporting events. The Championship represents the pinnacle for the world’s greatest golfers and this increase is appropriate for an event with The Open’s global appeal.”

The Open is golf’s oldest Major, and delivers an annual economic benefit of up to £100 million to its host region.