Quick answer: The 2026 KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Hazeltine National carries a $12 million purse, with $1.8 million going to the winner. That ties it with the U.S. Women's Open for the largest purse in women's golf. It is a massive jump from where this championship sat just a few years ago, and it is one of the clearest signs yet that the money in the women's game is finally starting to move.
Here is what that number means, where it came from, and why it matters well beyond one week in Minnesota.
How Big Is the 2026 KPMG Women's PGA Championship Purse?
The total purse is $12 million, and the champion at Hazeltine takes home $1.8 million, the standard 15 percent winner's share. That figure puts the KPMG Women's PGA level with the U.S. Women's Open at the top of the women's game, the two richest prizes on the LPGA calendar.
For a sense of scale, the LPGA's entire season purse now sits north of $130 million across all events. A single tournament accounting for $12 million of that is a major chunk, and it reflects how the biggest women's events are pulling away from the rest of the schedule in prize money.
How Much Does the Winner Get?
$1.8 million. That is the winner's slice of the $12 million pot, and it would be a career-changing payday for most players in the field.
Worth noting: even though the total purse is tied with the U.S. Women's Open, the winner's checks are not identical. The U.S. Women's Open structures its payout with more weighted toward the champion, so its winner banked $2.4 million last time out. Same headline purse, different split. The KPMG sticks closer to a flat 15 percent for first place.
How Has This Purse Grown Over Time?
This is the real story, and the numbers are staggering. The growth has been fast and deliberate:
- 2014: $2.25 million, back when it was still called the LPGA Championship
- 2015: jumped to $3.5 million when KPMG came aboard as title sponsor
- 2022: doubled in a single year to $9 million, the biggest one-year leap in its history
- 2025: climbed to a then-record $12 million
- 2026: holds at $12 million, tied for the richest in the women's game
That is growth of more than 430 percent since 2014. A purse that was barely over $2 million a decade ago is now $12 million. Very few events in any sport, men's or women's, have moved their prize money that aggressively in that short a window.
Why Did the Purse Grow So Fast?
Because someone decided to invest in it on purpose. When the PGA of America partnered with the LPGA in 2015 and brought KPMG in as title sponsor, the whole event was rebuilt. It moved to elite venues in major markets, landed a national NBC broadcast deal, and started pumping up the prize money year after year.
KPMG has been open that the purse growth is part of a stated goal: closing the financial gap between men's and women's professional golf. That is the honest engine behind these numbers. It is not the market magically deciding women's golf is worth more overnight. It is a sponsor and a governing body choosing to put real money behind the women's game and bet that the audience follows.
How Does It Compare to the Men's Game?
Here is where the celebration needs an honest footnote. Twelve million dollars is a record for women's golf and genuinely worth celebrating. It is also less than the men get at a comparable major. The 2026 men's U.S. Open played for a $22.5 million purse, with $4.5 million to the winner. So the richest women's major is paying out roughly half of what the richest men's major does, and the winner's check is about 40 percent of the men's.
The women's game has closed a lot of ground in a decade. But the distance left to go is still real.
That gap is exactly what the KPMG purse increases are chasing. The women's game has closed a lot of ground in a decade, going from purses in the low millions to $12 million majors. But "tied for the richest in women's golf" still sits well below the men's number, and pretending otherwise does the story no favors. The progress is real. So is the distance left to go.
What Does This Mean for the Growth of Women's Golf?
It means the infrastructure is finally catching up to the talent. Bigger purses do more than reward the winner. They make it possible for more women to make a sustainable living deeper down the field, which keeps players in the sport longer and pulls more young talent in.
And the timing lines up with a genuine boom. Female participation in golf hit 8.1 million in 2025, up 46 percent since 2019, and girls now make up around 35 percent of junior golfers, more than double the share from 2000. When you put record prize money next to a fast-growing base of players and fans, you get a sport on the rise rather than one coasting. The $12 million purse is both a cause and a symptom of that momentum.
The Raw Read
Twelve million dollars is a number worth pausing on. A decade ago this championship played for barely a fifth of that. The fact that it now stands level with the U.S. Women's Open at the top of the women's game shows what happens when a sponsor and a tour actually commit to growing something instead of just talking about it.
But keep it honest. This is a record for women's golf, not parity with the men, who are still playing for nearly double at their equivalent major. The right way to read the $12 million is as a real milestone on a road that is not finished. The women's game is growing fast, the money is following the talent, and the gap is narrowing. Slowly, deliberately, and not yet closed. That is progress you can respect without pretending the job is done.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purse for the 2026 KPMG Women's PGA Championship?
$12 million total, tied with the U.S. Women's Open for the largest purse in women's golf.
How much does the winner of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship get?
$1.8 million, the standard 15 percent winner's share of the $12 million purse.
Is the KPMG Women's PGA the richest tournament in women's golf?
It is tied for the richest, level with the U.S. Women's Open, both at $12 million.
How much has the purse grown?
From $2.25 million in 2014 to $12 million in 2026, an increase of more than 430 percent.
How does it compare to the men's PGA and U.S. Open?
It is smaller. The 2026 men's U.S. Open had a $22.5 million purse with $4.5 million to the winner, roughly double the women's figures.
Where and when is the 2026 KPMG Women's PGA Championship?
June 25 to 28 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.