KPMG Women's PGA Championship to Double Purse in 2022 11:00, 23/06/2022

Earlier this week, organizers of the KPMG Women’s PGA announced that the tournament’s prize purse was doubling to $9 million, which marks a staggering 300 percent increase from $2.25 million in 2014.

*The purse for this week's LPGA major has been doubled to $9 million, and the winner will receive $1.35 million*

The PGA of America, KPMG and the LPGA Tour just announced that this week’s KPMG Women's PGA Championship will pay out $9 million—exactly double last year’s purse. The winner’s share will also be twice as much as it was in 2021, rising to $1.35 million, and the runner-up will also pocket over $800,000.

*Nelly Korda is the Defending Champion of KPMG Women's PGA Championship*

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship has built on the history and tradition of the LPGA Championship, which began in 1955 and is the second-oldest major in women’s golf.

This year's event will be held June 23-26 at the newly restored Blue Course at Congressional Country Club, making it the first professional women's event to be held at the venue.

“When the PGA of America partnered with KPMG and the LPGA Tour in 2015, we promised to elevate this event by increasing the purse, conducting it at venues with a history of hosting men’s major championships such as Congressional Country Club, and delivering broadcast network coverage with NBC Sports,” Jim Richerson, president of the PGA of America, said in a statement. “As part of our shared commitment to support and showcase women’s golf, we have delivered on those promises.”

This isn’t the first major to announce a huge purse increase on the LPGA Tour in 2022. In January, the USGA announced an increase from $5.5 million to $10 million for the U.S. Women’s Open. The Chevron Championship, the first major of the year, also had a sizable increase, growing from $3 million to $5 million. The Amundi Evian Championship, which will be played in July, increased its purse from $4.5 million to $6.5 million.

“While the purse size may not achieve equity with the men’s game in 2022, we certainly think about trying to explore ways constantly to be a catalyst for change and really be an example to other title sponsors of these events to try to drive women’s purses higher for the future,” KPMG U.S. chairman and CEO Paul Knopp explains.

These increases, along with others on the schedule, have made 2022 a record-breaking year for the LPGA: In 2022, the players on the LPGA Tour are playing for $97.1 million.