PGA Championship Ties U.S. Open for Richest Purse in Women’s Golf

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is joining the ranks of the richest tournaments in women’s professional golf.

Organized by the PGA of America, this week’s major championship—one of five on the LPGA Tour—will offer a purse of $12 million, tied with the U.S. Women’s Open for the most prize money handed out at a single women’s golf event.

PGA of America chief commercial officer Jeff Price told Front Office Sports it was the tournament’s title sponsor that drove the financial competition with their women’s major counterpart.

“KPMG stepped up and brought the additional funding necessary to get the purse to $12 million,” Price said.
“The entire team leaned in and said, ‘We want to get to where the U.S. Women’s Open was.’”

For the Women’s PGA Championship, it’s an increase of more than 13% compared to the $10.4 million purse last year. The prize money increased just 4% from 2023 to 2024. 

This week’s winner will take home $1.8 million, compared to the $1.56 million Amy Yang won last year. That’s 15% of the purse. Maja Stark took home $2.4 million at last month’s U.S. Women’s Open, which was 20% of the purse.

The U.S. Women’s Open rose from $10 million in 2022 to $11 million in 2023, and then $12 million in 2024, before staying put this year. 

Home Sweet Home

The Women’s PGA Championship is being played at Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco in Texas for the first time. The course opened in 2023 alongside a new $550 million headquarters for the PGA of America, and is set to host the men’s PGA Championship in 2027 and 2034, as well as the women’s again in 2031.

“It’s certainly an anchor,” Price said. “We’ve got a great lineup of sites for the men’s and the women’s championship in the near future.”