The first Major of the women’s golf season is the Chevron Championship.
This year, the event is being held at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston following a three-year run at the Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods.
The course is no stranger to hosting big events, and is perhaps best known as the venue for the PGA Tour’s Texas Children’s Houston Open.
One thing the course lacks is a body of water at the 18th, but with the winner expected to take a dip in the pond, tournament organizers have installed a makeshift pool to the right-hand side of the green to prolong the tradition this week.
A year ago, Mao Saigo claimed her maiden Major title, emerging the winner of a five-way playoff before taking her celebratory plunge.
Mao Saigo won a playoff in 2025
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The victory gave her plenty of eye-catching perks, including a lifetime exemption to the event, while she also banked prize money of $1.2m from the overall purse of $8m.
This year, there’s even more at stake, with the purse increased to $9m. That’s a big jump since Chevron became involved in the tournament, with a purse of $3.1m just five years ago.
The winner in 2026 will earn $1.35m, before various factors reduce how much they really see, with any solo runner-up set for a payday of $848,931. Meanwhile, even any player finishing solo 21st will be enough to earn a six-figure payout.
All 72 players who made the cut will be in for some prize money, while, unlike in most tournaments, even those who missed out earn a $1,000 stipend.
At the 54-hole stage of the tournament, 2024 champion Nelly Korda had taken control of events, leading Patty Tavatanakit by five in pursuit of her third Major title. Will she claim the top prize after the final putt on Sunday evening?
Whoever wins the event will also claim 650 Race To CME Globe points and 100 world ranking points.
Below is the maximum prize money payout at the 2026 Chevron Championship based on the original cut line of 65 players making the cut and before ties are taken into account.
|
Position |
Payout |
|
1st |
$1,350,000 |
|
2nd |
$848,931 |
|
3rd |
$615,837 |
|
4th |
$476,398 |
|
5th |
$383,446 |
|
6th |
$313,730 |
|
7th |
$262,605 |
|
8th |
$230,071 |
|
9th |
$206,830 |
|
10th |
$188,239 |
|
11th |
$174,291 |
|
12th |
$162,669 |
|
13th |
$152,445 |
..
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