The LPGA announces record prize pools for 2025!

Still very far from the astronomical sums that players share on the PGA Tour, the LPGA circuit unveiled this Saturday through its commissioner, Mollie Marcoux Samaan, a significant increase in overall prize money for 2025.

The schedule announced Wednesday during the championship CME Group Tour end of season in Naples, Florida, still includes some major changes, notably concerning the new tournaments in Utah and Mexico, the end after 40 years of an event in Ohio, and also the merger of the Founders Cup with a previous tournament.

On the other hand, the overall prize pool for the season's tournaments is up sharply with an unprecedented total of 131 million dollars in 33 tournaments. Between 2021 and 2025, gains have almost doubled.

This amount does not includeInternational Crown of 2 million dollars, organized every two years (the only team event in golf where countries compete) and the Grant Thornton Invitational whose endowment amounts to 2 million dollars. This is a mixed team tournament with the PGA Tour and in which Celine Boutier will find Matthew Pavon during December.

Renewed contract, reduced schedule

The circuit also announced that the CME Group, the main partner of the LPGA, is extending its contract with the Race to CME Globe two years until 2027.

The CME Group Tour Championship more than doubled its purse to $11 million, including $4 million for the winner this week. The only bigger win in women's sport is the WTA Finals (Tennis). It's the American Coco Gauff who won and pocketed $4.8 million.

Among the changes made to the 2025 calendar, the start of competitions was delayed by two weeks to give players the opportunity to benefit from a slightly longer off-season. The tournament of champions Hilton Grand Vacations in Florida will not begin until January 30.

Shifted middle finger

On the program this season is a return to Mexico for the Riviera Maya Open in Cancun and a stop in Utah for the Black Desert Championship which hosted a PGA Tour event on the same course and won last month by prodigy Matt McCarty.

Note the addition of a Hawaiian stopover before the start of the fall Asian tour and especially the postponement of its first Major tournament, the Chevron Championshipone week. This prevents it from taking place the week following the Masters.

Ten tournaments benefit from the increase in prize pools with prizes reaching $3 million or more. Two tests are not spoiled: the Honda LPGA Thailand and the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Finally know that the new FM Championship au TPC Boston increases its endowment to $4.1 million.