While the LPGA is struggling to maintain the bare essentials of golf, the PGA seems to be splurging on Bentleys and iPhones! This is how Women’s British Open champion Karen Stupples summed up the inequality between the prize pots of the PGA and the LPGA.

The PGA Tour had a total of $550.4 million in prize money up for grabs across its 46 official events during the 2025 season. Meanwhile, the LPGA had $131 million in purse money across 33 events. So, when Golf Monthly asked Stupples what she would do if she woke up tomorrow as LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler, it didn’t take her long to point to the budget. 

“The single biggest thing we could implement, which requires an extraordinary amount of money, would be a comprehensive shot-tracking system like ShotLink,” she said. “… Right now, without that data, fewer stories are written about women’s golf because reporters simply don’t have the factual numbers to rely on.”

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The LPGA Tour does not have a permanent, every-week shot-tracking system like the PGA Tour’s ShotLink. However, they use KPMG Performance Insights and selectively adopt ShotLink Pro/ShotLink 2.0 technology for major championships like the Women’s PGA Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open.

Although the LPGA’s use of ShotLink remains limited, it collaborates with the PGA of America, T-Mobile’s 5G, and the PGA Tour’s ShotLink team to provide real-time tracking, radar data, and shot trails. However, according to Stupples, even these efforts are not enough, with the disparity in budgets being the primary reason for the gap.

“The LPGA is an organisation that makes the absolute most out of very little,” she added. “Commissioners like Mike Whan and Craig Kessler maximise every resource… The LPGA is a ‘keep the lights on, put food on the table’ organization, whereas the PGA Tour operates more like, ‘Let’s buy a Bentley and get the newest iPhone as soon as it comes out.’ That’s the commercial reality.”

And she isn’t wrong! As previously mentioned, the PGA Tour gave away $550 million in prize money last year. The majors alone had $78.5 million in purses. There’s a reason Scottie Scheffler made $30 million last year, and Tommy Fleetwood pocketed over $25 million, per Golf Monthly. The PGA Tour’s spending extends beyond purses—ShotLink is proof.

Although how much money they have spent on the technology is unclear, ShotLink came about as the American tour sought to address the inefficiencies of its early electronic scoring systems. It was first introduced in 1999 and was designed to capture shot data for players, officials, broadcasters, and fans. 

Over time, ShotLink evolved into an advanced, technology-driven platform, tracking shots and delivering real-time data and statistics. Despite ShotLink’s evolution and Stupples’ note that the LPGA lacks such investment—yet she’d still compete today.

Karen Stupples is grateful, but wouldn’t mind stepping back into the fairway

Since retiring from the sport, Stupples has transitioned into broadcasting. The Englishwoman now lives in the U.S. and serves as an on-screen reporter and analyst. But when she was asked about her thoughts on the modern game and the sort of purses up for grabs, Stupples quickly revealed she wouldn’t mind playing in the modern age ahead of the AIG Women’s Open.

“When it comes to the increase in purses, I 100 percent would have loved to be playing for that kind of money when I was competing,” she said. “But I’m also extremely grateful for what I did play for. It gave me, my son, and my family a great life.”

She highlighted that players have a lot more than just the money today, including “the facilities, the golf courses, the fitness trailers, the physios.” The 53-year-old claimed she felt proud that the LPGA can do that for the players. But, of course, not everyone makes the sort of money the top players in the sport do.

Stupples pointed out someone finishing 80th can make around $340k, but after caddie fees, coach fees, flights, and hotels can drain the overall winnings. She believes that while individual spending styles differ, the money they are making is great. 

Karen Stupples’ message is clear: funding, not talent, is the gap. She believes that with more funding, women’s golf can walk shoulder to shoulder.