WINNER WILL NET RECORD £2M CHEQUE

THIS year’s Masters champion will receive a record £2million payout after Augusta National chiefs announced a bumper 30 percent increase to the prize fund.

It will make this Masters tournament the most lucrative Major in history with a total payout of £11.5m.

The splurge coincides with the return to full crowds this year after Covid impacted on the last two tournaments.

Hideki Matsuyama (above), the 2021 champion, took home £1.6m when he became the first Japanese winner of The Masters 12 months ago.

Prize money for The Open at St Andrews in July has not yet been announced but stood at £8.8m at Royal St George’s last year.

However, The Masters will not be the biggest money-spinner in golf this summer.

The Saudi-backed breakaway circuit will feature prize money of £19m per event, starting at Hertfordshire’s Centurion Club in June, despite the likelihood of few top players signing up at this stage.