Purses and prize money have increased significantly in women’s pro golf in recent years, and that trend continues in 2026. First, the Chevron Championship announced a major expansion. Now the AIG Women’s Open follows suit.
On Tuesday, the R&A announced that at the 2026 AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes, players will be competing for a record purse of $10 million.
The AIG Women’s Open fund has tripled in 8 years
The AIG Women’s Open’s new $10 million purse is a slight increase of $250,000 from last year’s total purse of $9.75 million. But the tournament fund has been growing steadily for years now, as R&A chief executive Mark Darbon noted in a press release announcing the latest increase.
“This is the sixth year in a row that the AIG Women’s Open prize fund has been raised,” said Mark Darbon. “This consistent and sustainable investment in the prize fund clearly demonstrates the commitment of the R&A and AIG to raising the championship to a world class level.”
If we look back in recent history, we can see how good the increase in prize money has been for the LPGA.
The last time the Women’s Open was held at this year’s host course, Royal Lytham & St Annes, was in 2018. The total revenue for that year was only $3.25 million. That means that in just eight years the AIG Women’s Open fund has in threefold in size.
Whoever wins this year’s event will take home a record $1.5 million winner’s share.
How the AIG Women’s Open fund compares to other majors
Last week, the LPGA played its season premiere at the Chevron Championship. And they play for a lot more money than in 2025. The total purse for the 2026 Chevron Championship was $9 million, up $1 million from the previous year due to the addition of sponsor JM Eagle.
Nelly Korda took home $1.375 million for her Chevron win.
One week before the 2026 JM Eagle LA Tournament, JM Eagle’s CEO announced the event’s $1 million fundraiser live on TV mid-tournament.
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2026 Chevron Championship purse: Payout information, winner’s share
James Colgan
The new $10 million purse at the AIG Women’s Open still surpasses Chevron’s $1 million increase. But two other majors offer even bigger purses than the Women’s Open.
Both the US Women’s Open and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship played for purses of $12 million last season. But the winner’s shares in those two events were different. In the Women’s PGA, winner Minjee Lee took home $1.8 million. In the 2025 US Women’s Open, Maja Stark earned a whopping $2.4 million for her victory.
But all of the major LPGA winner’s payouts pale in comparison to the CME Group Tour Championship. The LPGA’s season-ending event features a $4 million winner’s share.
How do LPGA majors compare to men’s majors? The largest purse in the men’s majors in 2025 was $21.5 million at the US Open. The smallest men’s purse was $17 million at the Open Championship.
