With an overall purse of $12 million, $1 million more than a year ago, the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open has the biggest prize money payout of an women’s tournament in golf history. As you let that impressive fact settle in, what makes it even more remarkable is that just three years ago, the purse in the same championship was just $5.5 million.
The exponential increase is a testament to the powers that be involved in women’s golf recognizing the need to better reward the game’s best female players on the game’s biggest stages. The total amount of prize money being played for on the LPGA Tour in 2024 is up to nearly $124 million, compared to $88.9 million in 2022. And the purses in the other four women’s majors have also seen similar growth in recent years. Take a look:
KPMG Women's PGA Championship: $10 million in 2023, $4.5 million in 2021
AIG Women's Open: $9 million in 2023; $4.5 million in 2020
Chevron Championship: $7.9 million in 2024; $3.1 million in 2021
Evian Championship: $6.5 million in 2023; $4.5 million in 2021
As for the winner’s payday in the U.S. Women’s Open, Sunday's champion at Pennsylvania’s Lancaster Country Club, Yuka Saso with a final-round 68, earned a record $2.4 million. Interestingly, the USGA decided to increase the winner’s payday in relation to the rest of the field, giving the champ 20 percent of the overall payout compared to 18 percent in previous years and the typical 15 percent on the LPGA Tour. Even if you don’t make the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open, you’re still walking away with a nice return: $10,000, more than double the “stipend” given to pros leaving after 36 holes compared two years ago.
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We’ve charted the growth in the U.S. Women’s Open before, but it’s worth showing again if only to remind everyone that that the overall purse for the U.S. Women’s Open didn’t pass $10,000 until 1965, the 20th year of the championship. And a winner of the major didn’t make $10,000 until 1977.
Here’s a historic look at the prize money payouts in the championship for context about this year’s historic payday:
YEAR: WINNER, OVERALL PURSE, WINNER’S SHARE
1947: Betty Jameson, $7,500, $1,200
1966: Sandra Spuzich, $20,000 $4,000
1975: Sandra Palmer, $55,000, $8,044
1977: Hollis Stacy, $75,000, $11,040
1978: Hollis Stacy, $100,000, $15,000
1990: Betsy King, $500,000, $85,000
1995: Annika Sorenstam, $1 million, $175,000
2000: Karrie Webb, $2.75 million, $500,000
2014: Michelle Wie, $4 million, $720,000
2017: Sung-Hyun Park, $5 million, $900,000
2019: Jeuong Lee6, $5.5 million, $1 million
2022: Minjee Lee, $10 million, $1.8 million
2023: Allisen Corpuz, $11 million, $2 million
The full prize money payout breakdown for this year’s championship was released Saturday morning. You can see it below along with the final results.
Jason E. Miczek
Private
Lancaster Country Club: Meadow Creek/Dogwood
Lancaster, PA
4.5
111 Panelists
- Best In State
Originally a small nine-hole course founded in 1901, William Flynn designed the layout we see today in 1920. The course is constructed on rolling terrain with a river flowing through the heart of the property and water comes into play on the vast majority of holes. While the course really shines from holes two to eight, all in a river valley that provides the golfer with exciting yet testing shots. The bunkering on the course stands out, and like with all Flynn courses, they are placed in a way that forces golfers to take an extra consideration. The par 3s too are very good with great variety and intrigue. The course is the host of the 2015 and 2024 U.S. Women's Open.
View Course
Win: Yuka Saso, -4, $2,400,000
2: Hinako Shibuno, -1, $1,296,000
T-3: Andrea Lee, E, $664,778
T-3: Ally Ewing, E, $664,778
5: Arpuchaya Yubol, +1, $456,375
T-6: Ayaka Furue, +2, $365,406
T-6: Wichanee Meechai, +2, $365,406
T-6: Atthaya Thitikul, +2, $365,406
T-9: Rio Takleda, +3, $271,733
T-9: Minjee Lee, +3, $271,733
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T-9: Sakura Koiwai, +3, $271,733
T-12: Hyo Joo Kim, +4, $205,709
T-12: Miyu Yamsh*ta, +4, $205,709
T-12: Ruoning Yin, +4, $205,709
T-12: Jee Hee Im, +4, $205,709
T-16: Hannah Green, +5, $161,841
T-16: A Lim Kim, +5, $161,841
T-16: My Hyang Lee, +5, $161,841
T-19: Yan Liu, +6 $125,829
T-19: Charley Hull, +6 $125,829
T-19: Carlota Ciganda, +6 $125,829
T-19: Jenny Shin, +6 $125,829
T-19: Chisato Iwai, +6 $125,829
T-24: Jiwon Jeon, +7, $99,079
T-24: Wei-Ling Hsu, +7, $99,079
T-26: Aditi Ashok, +8, $86,542
T-26: Sophia Popov, +8, $86,542
T-28: Min Byeol Kim, +8, $86,542
T-29: Jin Young Kim, +9, $68,873
T-29: Albane Valenzuela, +9, $68,873
T-29: Pia Babnik, +9, $68,873
T-29: Sarah Kemp, +9, $68,873
T-29: Jodi Ewart Shadoff, +9, $68,873
T-29: Xiyu Janet Lin, +9, $68,873
T-29: Su Ji Kim, +9, $68,873
T-36: Kristen Gillman, +10, $54,338
T-36: Anna Nordqvist, +10, $54,338
T-36: Amiyu Ozeki, +10, $54,338
T-39: Hyunkyung Park, +11, $44,897
T-39: Jiyai Shin, +11, $44,897
T-39: Gaby Lopez, +11, $44,897
T-39: Yuna Nishimura, +11, $44,897
T-39: Yui Kawamoto, +11, $44,897
T-44: Megan Khang, +12, $34,495
T-44: Mariel Galdiano, +12, $34,495
T-44: Alison Lee, +12, $34,495
T-44: Asterisk Talley, +12, Amateur
T-44: Megan Schofill, +12, Amateur
T-44: Nasa Hataoka, +12, $34,495
T-44: Catherine Park, +12, Amateur
T-51: Gabriela Ruffels, +13, $26,595
T-51: Hae Ran Ryu, +13, $26,595
T-51: Danielle Kang, +13, $26,595
T-51: Yuri Yoshida, +13, $26,595
T-51: Alexandra Forsterling, +13, $26,595
T-51: Sofia Garcia, +13, $26,595
T-51: Ashleigh Buhai, +13, $26,595
T-58: Narin An, +14, $23,741
T-58: Celine Boutier, +14, $23,741
T-58: Amelia Garvey, +14, $23,741
T-58: Alana Uriell, +14, $23,741
T-58: Alexa Pano, +14, $23,741
T-58: Emily Kristine Pedersen, +14, $23,741
T-58: Maude-Aimee Leblanc, +14, $23,741
T-58: Kim Kaufman, +14, $23,741
T-58: Jeongeun Lee6, +14, $23,741
T-67: Adela Cernousek, +15, Amateur
T-67: Ai Suzuki. +15, $22,566
T-69: Caroline Inglis, +16, $22,095
T-69: Madelene Sagstrom, +16, $22,095
T-69: Marissa Steen, +16, $22,095
72: Casandra Alexander, +17, $21,625
73: Isi Gabsa, +19, $21,390
74: Akie Iwai, +21, $21,155
75: Cheyenne Knight, +22, $20,920
