How much does it cost to play in the US Open? Korn Ferry Tour star breaks it all down

By , Golf writer and wannabe darts player.

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James Nicholas posted a fascinating video on TikTok breaking down the costs of playing in a US Open.

James Nicholas plies his trade on the Korn Ferry Tour but has become better known for his TikTok exploits. In his most recent video, he gives us a fascinating insight into how much it costs to play in a major…

To the victor go the spoils, but what about everyone else? For all that there are riches on offer if you scale the mountain to the top end of men’s game, below that elite level is a cut-throat world where players are often are fighting for survival.

Korn Ferry Tour player James Nicholas is in that fight.

And the 28-year-old took to TikTok to share with his 300,000-plus followers an itemization of some of the expenses that went into playing in the US Open, covering everything from qualifying to the food he ate for the week at Oakmont. 

@jamesnicholasgolf

How much I made at the US Open this week!!! Fun making the cut in my first major championship! #golf

♬ original sound – James Nicholas

Local and sectional qualifying, including flights, food and all the other essentials cost Nicholas $2,186. 

Nicholas is one of us so he hit up the merchandise tent at Oakmont and splurged $250 on goodies.

He was $315 all in on groceries and also gave the lockerroom staff $150 for their help. Nicholas also gave his caddie a $2,500 base salary for the week regardless of the outcome and an 8% bonus, which came to another $3,500.

So you can see how things quickly rack up. It would have been more too had he not been provided with a courtesy Lexus rental car and free flights home.

To his immense credit, though, Nicholas made the cut in his first major. He opened with a round of 69 to sit just a few shots out of the lead before following that up with a 78 to make the weekend on the number.

He admitted he was disappointed with rounds of 75 and 77 on Saturday and Sunday but what a week. 

His winnings for finishing in a tie for 61st came to $43,554, which gave him a total profit of $34,894.

“Definitely a bigger purse than your average Korn Ferry event,” Nicholas wrote. “Wish I had played a bit better on the weekend but will build off it!!”

Nicholas is currently 66th in the Korn Ferry Tour points list, with 20 PGA Tour cards available at the end of the season-long race, so perhaps this momentum will provide the springboard for the second half of the year.

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