This week’s AIG Women’s Open is notable for a couple of things – one is it’s the first time Muirfield has hosted the tournament, and another is the announcement of a record purse for the final Major of the year.
The 2021 tournament at Carnoustie saw a purse of $5.8m, but that is increasing by 26% at this year’s event, to $7.3m. Of that, the winner will receive $1.095m, a significant increase on the $870,000 won by Anna Nordqvist last year.
Overall, the figure represents an increase of over $4m in the last four years, with the 2018 tournament having a purse of $3.25m. R&A Chief Executive Martin Slumbers explained he’s delighted with the progress being made in raising the profile of the tournament. He said: “This year at the AIG Women’s Open, the players will be competing for $7.3 million, which is an increase of 26% on last year and also sees the total investment into the prize fund increase by just over $4million or 125% since The R&A and AIG began our partnership in 2019. In AIG, we have the support of a deeply trusted partner, as we look to continue to elevate the AIG Women’s Open.”
That desire to grow the women’s game was reiterated by AIG Chairman and Chief Executive Peter Zaffino, who said: “Thanks to our great partnership with The R&A we continue to make progress on pay equity while raising the profile of women’s golf and showcasing the tremendous talent of the elite women athletes competing in this iconic Championship.”
While some big names are missing out on this year’s tournament, there is still a strong field, including the defending champion. Meanwhile, the current top three in the world, Jin Young Ko, Minjee Lee and Kelly Norda are grouped together in the first two rounds, with the trio teeing it up at 12.38pm local time on Thursday.
Below is the breakdown of the prize money in the 2022 AIG Women’s Open.
AIG Women’s Open Prize Money 2022
| Position | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| 1st | $1,095,000 |
| 2nd | $720,028 |
| 3rd | $521,498 |
| 4th | $402,734 |
| 5th | $323,565 |
| 6th | $264,183 |
| 7th | $220,638 |
| 8th | $192,929 |
| 9th | $173,135 |
| 10th | $157,299 |
| 11th | $145,419 |
| 12th | $135,522 |
| 13th | $126,813 |
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