The third women’s Major of the year, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will have a record purse in the latest sign of the women’s game’s rapid growth.
The tournament comes from Sahalee Country Club for the first time in eight years and just the second time overall. Back then, Brooke Henderson, who was just 18 at the time, claimed her maiden Major title after beating Lydia Ko in a playoff to become the youngest-ever winner of the tournament.
In that 2016 edition, Henderson, who has been honored with a plaque for her achievement, claimed prize money of $525,000 from an overall purpose of $3.5m. However, in the latest statement of just how much the women’s game has grown over recent years, it has been announced that this year’s prize money payout will be almost $7m more than that figure at a record $10.4m.
Brooke Henderson earned $525,000 after winning the 2016 edition of the tournament
(Image credit: Getty Images)
That’s also $400,000 more than the 2023 edition of the tournament at Baltusrol Golf Club, which was won by Ruoning Yin, who earned $1.5m. The 2024 purse is also $5.9m more than just three years ago, when Nelly Korda claimed the title.
The announcement also means that the full-season total on the LPGA Tour now stands at over $125m, a 75% increase from 2021.
The purse is going 🆙!There’s now $10,400,000 up for grabs at the @KPMGWomensPGA 🏆That brings the full season total on the LPGA Tour to more than $125 million, a more than 75% increase since 2021! 📈 pic.twitter.com/ybeVxgx2VzJune 18, 2024
The tournament will offer the second-highest payout of the three Majors so far after the Chevron Championship’s $7.9m and the US Women’s Open’s $12m – a record for a women’s tournament. The winner of the event will claim prize money of $1.56m, making it the sixth tournament in LPGA Tour history to award the victor over $1m.
KPMG and the LPGA first partnered in 2015, and since then, the purse has increased by 360%. LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan acknowledged the importance of the partnership in helping to raise the profile of the women’s game so much in recent years. Per LPGA.com, she said: “I don’t think you can talk about the growth of the LPGA over the last decade without saying the words KPMG.
“I think bringing the PGA of America, KPMG,…
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