NAPLES, Fla. — LPGA players will be awarded more than $100,000,000 for the first-time in 2023. This is a significant increase of around 18% over what was originally planned and more than twice what was paid on the tour a decade earlier.
The tour announced Friday that 33 events will be held next year with a total of $101.3 million in purses. It also revealed the schedule, which includes, if possible, two events in China. After the coronavirus pandemic, the LPGA has stopped playing there since October 2019.
Mollie Marcoux Samaan, LPGA Commissioner, stated that the LPGA Tour has never had more committed partners who see the commercial benefits of investing in womens sport and understand the importance of their partnerships in elevating women and girls off the course.
The purses for the five majors in womens golf total $37.9million, with $10 million going to the U.S. Womens Open on Pebble Beach next July. The Womens PGA Championship in Baltrusol, a $9million event, is immediately preceding that tournament.
This is $19 million that will be paid out in just two events. This was unimaginable in womens tournament golf just a few decades ago.
Marcoux Samaan stated this month, In the LPGA, we wake up, but when the year begins, we have to put together a schedule. Many professional leagues already have a schedule. It is important that we have great partners like these so that we can organize tournaments and provide opportunities for our ladies.
Its difficult for organizations to find the right partners who are willing to invest in women and have purses that match the talent of our players.
The official purses for this season reached $93.5 million, mainly due to increases in the majors. In 2022, purses were to reach $85.7 million.
Every tournament on 2023s slate has a purse at least $1.5million, and only four have smaller purses. There are 16 tournaments on the 2023 slate, with purses of at minimum $2 million, except for the majors.
The LPGA will be playing eight consecutive weeks after the Solheim Cup, Spain in late September. The LPGAs first two stops will be in Arkansas and Texas. After that, a four-tournament Asian swing through China Korea Taiwan, Taiwan, and Japan will take place. The final two weeks of the season will be in Florida. Finally, the $7 million CME Group Tour Championship in Naples with $2 million to its winner, will be held.
The $2 million first-place prize matches the one that will be awarded to the winner in Naples this weekend. It is the largest single check in women’s golf.
