The U.S. Women's Open Announces Largest Purse in Women's Golf History

PACIFIC PALISADES, Ca. — One of the key aspects of making something a blockbuster is putting a large sum of money behind the project. The U.S. Women's Open winner's check in recent years has understood he assignment.

With a stage as grand and luxurious as Riviera, where the best women's golfers in the world have descended upon LA this week, it's only fitting that the USGA puts a massive price tag to keep the good vibes going. Once more, the U.S. Women's Open boasts the largest prize purse of all the women's majors, leading the way at $12.5 million.

The U.S. Women's Open payout was $12 million in 2024 and 2025. The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship matched that last year.

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"Going back to 1946, 39 players teed it up at Spokane Country Club in Washington. They played that first year, the only year that was played as match play. As they played, the purse that year was $19,700, and all of that purse money was paid in war bonds the year after the war concluded," said John Bodenhamer, the USGA's Chief Championship Officer on Wednesday.

"This year we've had 1,897 players file an entry to follow their dream to become the U.S. Women's Open champion. 156 players in the field from 28 different countries. This year we'll be playing for a purse of $12.5 million—an increase of $500,000 from last year."

And I must say that this uptick in prize money comes as no surprise. Over the last few months we're seen the two other major purses—the Chevron and Evian—raise their ceilings so that now every LPGA major purse is over $9 million.

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A precedent has been set, and it needs to keep going.