LPGA, Women’s Golf Support Headed In The Right Direction

On June 22, 2014, Michelle Wie hoisted the Harton S. Semple Trophy after winning the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst Resort.

Not only did Wie’s two-stroke win over world No. 1 Stacy Lewis erase a decade of ups and downs that had defined one of the biggest stars in women’s golf who burst onto the scene as a highly touted teenager, but, more importantly, it represented a major step forward for the game.

The 2014 tournament marked the first time that the U.S. Women’s Open and the U.S. Open were played on the same course (Pinehurst No. 2) in the same year. The event also featured the largest purse in women’s golf at $4 million, with Wie earning $720,000.

A decade later, the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open from May 30 to June 2 at Lancaster (Pa.) Country Club continues to celebrate the growth of the women’s game, highlighted by a record-setting purse of $12 million, but it’s hardly mission accomplished.

“It’s fun to see the Tour get bigger and bigger,” said Wie West, who retired after the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open with five career LPGA victories, 49 career top-10s and $6.825 million in career earnings. “There were times where we weren’t sure if we would have a Tour anymore. I just feel like as much as the Tour has grown, it’s really still a battle to get bigger and get closer to pay equality.

“We still have a lot of work cut out for us.”

As the LPGA finds more stability with tournament and broadcast partners, there’s more money in women’s golf than ever before. While it still pales in comparison to the eye-dropping numbers dominating the headlines and conversation on the PGA Tour and LIV on the men’s side, you’d be hard pressed to bat an eye at the growth in the women’s game.

Last year’s full-season purse of $108 million was up 54% from two years prior. Not only is the USGA upping this year’s U.S. Women’s Open prize money by $1 million thanks to presenting partner Ally Financial, but other events and sponsors are raising the stakes as well.

The LPGA in November said the purse for the CME Group Tour Championship would increase from $4 million to $11 million with the winner’s share doubling from $2 million to $4 million. With a purse of $7.9 million, the Chevron Championship has seen an increase of $4.8 million over the last three years. The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship has more than doubled its purse from $4.5 million in 2021 to $10 million in 2023. The recently played Mizuho Americas Open increased its total purse to $3 million in its second year with winner Nelly Korda taking home $450,000.

With six wins this season, Korda, who became the fastest LPGA player to reach $2 million in single-season earnings earlier this year, is up to $2.94 million in 2024 and $11.88 million in her career.

The increased payouts—and sponsor support—aren’t lost on those dedicating their lives to making a living on Tour.

“It’s great that as players we get to play these events and these partners believe in women’s golf and not just invest in the men,” said Lydia Ko, a two-time major winner with $17.57 million in career earnings since her 2014 rookie season. “It’s great to be able to play these events because they’re excited for us and they want to keep growing the game and giving opportunities to future generations as well.

“I think this is a big step forward toward the bigger picture.”

Added former top-ranked amateur Alison Lee: “The product is really great. We’re getting more money and playing better courses. And hopefully down the road, we get more people to watch the sport and really appreciate golf—especially women’s golf and truly appreciate the talent on our Tour.”

Led by brands like Ally, Epson, Deloitte, Chevron, Mizuho and KPMG, the increasing support of the LPGA and women’s golf is a microcosm of the growing interest and investment across women’s sports. Women’s soccer and basketball are two major sports benefiting from brands and broadcasters’ burgeoning investment.

Living up to its name, Ally has been just that across women’s sports, highlighted by its 50/50 Pledge—a commitment announced in May 2022 to reach equal media spend in men’s and women’s sports in five years. The financial services company took its support into golf as presenting partner of the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open, serving as a founding partner of the U.S. National Development program and by signing world No. 2 Lilia Vu to an endorsement deal.

“There are so many great brands investing in women’s sports, but for us, that is literally who we are and it’s in our DNA,” said Stephanie Marciano, head of sports and entertainment marketing at Ally. “We’ll never just buy rights and kind of slap on our logo. It’s about how can we make the space better off than before we were there?

“It’s all about intentionality, so we invest intentionally to move the market forward and move the landscape forward.”

Not only are advertisers and sponsors bullish on women’s golf—and women’s sports in general—but broadcasters are realizing the demand is there as well.

If you broadcast it, they will watch.

Broadcast in the United States by NBC-owned Golf Channel and Peacock, the LPGA and ESPN in November agreed to a new two-year agreement to stream Featured Group coverage at eight events live and exclusively on ESPN+ through the 2025 season.

Featuring golfers representing more than 60 nations, the LPGA reaches audiences in more than 220 countries thanks to its international broadcast partners. Not only does this global distribution give fans access to the best women’s golfers on the planet, but it shows aspiring players there’s viable career opportunities in the sport.

“As a young girl if you can turn on the TV and actually see women’s golf on a primetime stage and the purse is $12 million and these players have a real professional trajectory and real possibility to pursue this as their career, why wouldn’t you stay in the game?” Marciano said. “Why wouldn’t you get excited about the potential future for yourself? As a brand, we have a big responsibility to be a part of that.”

Larger purses, talented golfers, supportive sponsors and mainstream broadcasts are the recipe for success for the LPGA and women’s golf. The 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach was the most-watched edition of the event since Wie’s win in 2014, while linear viewership on NBC and USA Network of the four-day tournament was up 118% over the 2022 edition.

With approximately seven million on-course female golfers ages 6+ in 2023 and girls representing more than one-third of today’s junior golfers, according to the National Golf Foundation, the key to growing the game also comes at the grassroots level.

That’s why organizations like the USGA launched the U.S. National Golf Development Program in February 2023, and legends like Annika Sorenstam and Wie West are creating more opportunities for girls and young women.

Sorenstam’s The Annika Foundation, which has hosted the annual Annika Intercollegiate since 2014, recently announced it will host the inaugural CDW Girls Junior All-Star Championship in partnership with the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) featuring 78 elite female golfers ages 12-15.

At the Mizuho Americas Open hosted by Wie West, 24 top-ranked junior girls on the AJGA Tour compete alongside 120 LPGA players to create an unprecedented week of education and access to inspire the next generation of LPGA players.

“It opens so many doors for these girls. It shows them that you can follow your passion, make a living out of it and not have to choose between the two,” Wie West said. “I think that it shows that people care about us. I think a big difference is using charity terms when it comes to women: ‘Oh, we have to support the women. We’re doing this because it’s going to make us feel good.’ No, companies are raising the purses and being involved because it’s good for them, it’s good for their business and we’re a great entertainment product.

“It shows to the girls out there they are worth something, they’re worth watching and they have that value.”