The 2024 LPGA Tour season had already promised record-breaking overall prize money. However, it has now been given a further boost with an announcement that the payout for April’s JM Eagle LA Championship, which will be headlined by new World No.1 Nelly Korda, will be $3.75m.
As well as a new high for a regular-season event, that means that players are now competing for an overall prize fund of more than $120m across the LPGA Tour season, just two years after it had stood at $70m.
That news comes just a year after sponsors JM Eagle and Plastpro doubled the purse for the Wilshire Country Club tournament from $1.5m, which made it the first event on the Tour outside of the Majors and CME Group Tour Championship season finale to offer a $3m prize fund, of which winner Hannah Green claimed $450,000.
CEOs of JM Eagle and Plastpro, Walter and Shirley Wang, explained that the move can have far-reaching benefits for current and future players.
The pair told LPGA.com: “We are incredibly honored to be partnering with the LPGA Tour for the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro and to be able to present these world-class players with opportunities to achieve their dreams, ultimately igniting the dreams of the game’s future players.”
“Our commitment to the LPGA, to the players and to the spectators is to continue to lead the way in shining an increased spotlight on women’s sports and promoting a more equitable landscape for female golfers, one tournament at a time.”
Hannah Green banked $450,000 for her win at last year's JM Eagle LA Championship
The decision to increase the purse for the 2023 edition had a positive knock-on effect elsewhere, with other events soon reaching the $3m threshold, while a total of 11 non-Major tournaments are offering the amount in 2024.
LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan expressed her gratitude for the support as the women’s game goes from strength to strength.
She said: “In our ongoing pursuit to empower, inspire and advance opportunities for girls and women, on and off the golf course, we are immensely grateful for Walter and Shirley Wang's unwavering support and dedication to our shared mission. They continue to move the needle for not only LPGA athletes but also for girls and women everywhere.”
As part of the deal, the 144 players in the field will also benefit from complimentary lodging accommodations throughout tournament week.
The news that the tournament will have a record purse is the latest in a series of eye-catching prize funds available in the women’s game. Last year’s US Women’s Open had a record purse of $11m – the largest ever in the women’s game. Meanwhile, for the last two years, the LET’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International has had a $5 million purse.
This week, the LPGA Tour hosts the inaugural Ford Championship Presented By KCC, which has a prize money payout of $2.25m, an identical sum to that offered by the second biggest men’s tournament taking place this week, the DP World Tour’s Hero Indian Open.
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