Massive payday at this week’s LPGA event dwarfs most PGA Tour prizes
There is much on the line at the LPGA’s season finale — the CME Group Tour Championship — this week: one of the biggest titles of the year, Player of the Year honors and, oh yeah, the $2 million that the winner will take home.
That’s right: two million bucks.
That’s not just a lot of dough for a women’s golf event, it’s a lot of dough for any golf event.
The CME’s $7 million total purse is roughly in line with what the five women’s majors paid out in 2022 (see below). But the CME has separated itself with its first-prize share, which is $200,000 more than what the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open champion pocketed and $1.25 million more than what the season’s first major, the Chevron Championship, paid its winner.
The CME’s winner’s share is not only the largest prize in the history of women’s golf but also more money than most run-of-the-mill PGA Tour events award their champions, most of which pay out in the $1.4 million to $1.6 million range.
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The 28.6% cut of the purse the winner will receive in Naples, Fla., is far more than the typical 18% cut for a regular PGA Tour event (or the typical LPGA share of 15%). The only PGA Tour events that paid its winner more than $2 million were the three invitationals (Genesis, Arnold Palmer, Memorial), the WGC Match Play, the Players, the three FedEx Cup Playoff events and the four majors.
“Yeah, it’s good for us,” defending CME champion and world No. 4 Jin Young Ko said this week when asked about the payout. “So I hope the other tournaments, the prize getting higher, too. Fingers crossed.”
Added world No. 4 Atthaya Thitikul, when asked how she might spend $2 million: “I think I’ll buy a house. I didn’t have my own house in the States yet. I have planned to buy some, but yeah, if I win, it’s going to be right now.”
Before we get into a breakdown of the money for this week, let’s compare this week’s first-place and second-place (which is a 15% cut) money to what was given out at the five LPGA majors this year.
CME Group Championship (Purse: $7 million)
1: $2,000,000
2: $687,000
Chevron Championship (Purse: $5 million)
1: $750,000
2: $461,757
U.S. Women’s Open ($10 million)
1: $1,800,000
2: $1,080,000
KPMG Women’s PGA ($9 million)
1: $1,350,000
2: $718,827
Amundi Evian Championship ($6.5 million)
1: $1,000,000
2: $586,262
AIG Women’s Open ($7.3 million)
1: $1,095,000
2: $673,743
Now here’s the entire breakdown of the field payout for this week at Tiburon Golf Club:
CME Group Tour Championship payout info, winner’s share:
1. $2,000,000
2. $550,000
3. $340,000
4. $250,000
5. $195,000
6. $150,000
7. $120,000
8. $105,000
9. $92,000
10. $87,500
11. $83,000
12. $80,000
13. $77,000
14. $75,000
15. $73,000
16. $71,000
17. $69,500
18. $68,000
19. $66,500
20. $65,000
21. $64,000
22. $63,000
23. $62,000
24. $61,000
25. $60,000
26. $59,000
27. $58,000
28. $57,000
29. $56,000
30. $55,000
31. $54,250
32. $53,500
33. $52,750
34. $52,000
35. $51,250
36. $50,500
37. $49,750
38. $49,000
39. $48,250
40. $47,500
41. $47,000
42. $46,500
43. $46,000
44. $45,500
45. $45,000
46. $44,500
47. $44,000
48. $43,500
49. $43,000
50. $42,500
51. $42,250
52. $42,000
53. $41,750
54. $41,500
55. $41,250
56. $41,000
57. $40,750
58. $40,500
59. $40,250
60. $40,000
