When the first Women’s PGA Championship was held in 1955, the tournament’s entire purse was just $6,000. And champion Beverly Hanson took home $1,200 from it. Looking at the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, it’s clear the major has come a long way financially. In fact, calling its growth in prize money remarkable almost feels like an understatement. This year, a total of $13 million is on the line.
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This year, the purse had increased from last year’s $12 million to a record-breaking $13 million, and it’s the largest purse in women’s golf that has ever been. In fact, since the turn of the millennium, when the tournament purse stood at $1.4 million, it has skyrocketed by an astonishing 828.57% over the past 26 years.
Out of this $13 million, the winner will get a nearly $2 million check. Let us see how much other golfers are set to make.
| Position | Prize Money | Position | Prize Money | Position | Prize Money |
| 1st | $1,950,000 | 25th | $122,257 | 49th | $46,722 |
| 2nd | $1,169,107 | 26th | $117,779 | 50th | $44,801 |
| 3rd | $848,104 | 27th | $113,289 | 51st | $43,529 |
| 4th | $656,075 | 28th | $108,811 | 52nd | $42,244 |
| 5th | $528,068 | 29th | $104,333 | 53rd | $40,960 |
| 6th | $432,053 | 30th | $100,492 | 54th | $39,688 |
| 7th | $361,645 | 31st | $96,650 | 55th | $38,403 |
| 8th | $316,843 | 32nd | $92,809 | 56th | $37,118 |
| 9th | $284,838 | 33rd | $88,967 | 57th | $35,846 |
| 10th | $259,232 | 34th | $85,125 | 58th | $34,561 |
| 11th | $240,024 | 35th | $81,933 | 59th | $33,289 |
| 12th | $224,021 | 36th | $78,727 | 60th | $32,004 |
| 13th | $209,940 | 37th | $75,534 | 61st | $31,368 |
| 14th | $197,143 | 38th | $72,329 | 62nd | $30,720 |
| 15th | $185,618 | 39th | $69,123 | 63rd | $30,084 |
| 16th | $175,378 | 40th | $66,566 | 64th | $29,448 |
| 17th | $166,422 | 41st | $64,009 | 65th | $28,799 |
| 18th | $158,739 | 42nd | $61,452 | 66th | $28,163 |
| 19th | $152,341 | 43rd | $58,883 | 67th | $27,527 |
| 20th | $147,214 | 44th | $56,326 | 68th | $26,878 |
| 21st | $142,101 | 45th | $54,405 | 69th | $26,242 |
| 22nd | $136,975 | 46th | $52,485 | 70th | $25,606 |
| 23rd | $131,861 | 47th | $50,564 | Missed Cut | $4,000 |
| 24th | $126,734 | 48th | $48,643 | — | — |
Other than the trophy and title, the champion also earns two LPGA Hall of Fame points, a five-year exemption on the LPGA Tour, automatic entry into future LPGA major championships for five years, valuable Rolex points, and a hefty haul of CME Globe points.
Last year, three-time major champion Minjee Lee carded a winning total of 4-under 284 to claim the title and walk away with a $1.8 million payday. This year, she missed the cut. Having said that, which players are the closest to winning it this year?
Who has the best chance to win the 2026 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship?
The fourth round is ongoing, and the trophy is within reach for several players. However, Haeran Ryu and Brooke Henderson are perhaps the closest to running away with the tournament. At the time of writing, Ryu and Henderson are both tied for first place.
Ryu has seen some ups and downs throughout the first three rounds. She carded scores of 73, 64, and 68 to reach 11-under. A flawless 4-under 68 on Saturday helped her seize the outright lead heading into the final round.
Meanwhile, Henderson has stayed within striking distance all week with rounds of 69, 68, and 69, reaching 10-under after 54 holes. The two-time major champion has relied on steady, mistake-free golf to sit just one shot off the lead.
While these two are the closest to winning the tournament, Ina Yoon and Dewi Weber are trailing closely behind. That being said, the winner is set to make the most money in the tournament’s history. But looking at the trend, next year the purse could be even bigger.
Written by
Edited by
Riya Singhal